Thursday, May 29, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Virtues of Being a Latecomer
While waiting in queue at one of the busy airport's security check area, there was a sudden commotion. One passenger had reported quite late for his flight, for which the boarding had been announced. The airline staff and a security personnel, escorted him through the security gates, made him jump the queue, his security check was done before all others standing in queue for 15 minutes and he was carried to the aircraft separately. The flight had probably been waiting only for him. So much VIP treatment, for what? For being late.
I hate being late for anything and make it a point to reach my appointed place always a few minutes before scheduled time. This habit has frustrated me so many times. Latecomers are always at an advantage. They are always given VIP treatment like the one mentioned above. Poor people who abide by time have to wait their turns, have to wait for the latecomers to arrive. Be it any gathering, seminar, conference, workshops, which always start a little late than scheduled time assuming that some people are going to be late. Assuming this, the latecomers get more late. Then everyone waits for these people to arrive before starting proceedings, making the people who come on time to wait for the latecomers. A sheepish smile, a sly grin, a casual apology is all you get when these people are made to realise that they have kept people waiting, that too if you are lucky. Sometimes, the apology never comes, and people just find it very normal to be late and just enjoy the importance being accorded. And invariably, even with those people who express their apologies, you find that they are the ones who will be late again the next time round.
It is best, I think then, to be late and enjoy the privileges. No point in coming on time and if it is a meeting where work is supposed to be distributed within a group, most work has already had to be taken by those who had unfortunately arrived on time. By the time these privileged people come in, all work has already been divided, and they would probably be needed to support those who have already got their jobs, which practically means that you can sit back and relax, as the responsibility of the work being done lies with the punctual person.
Bad habits never leave one. I am trying to quit, but however much I try, I am not succeeding. I am trying to quit being ahead of time always so that I can enjoy the privileges of being a latecomer. Hope I succeed soon.
I hate being late for anything and make it a point to reach my appointed place always a few minutes before scheduled time. This habit has frustrated me so many times. Latecomers are always at an advantage. They are always given VIP treatment like the one mentioned above. Poor people who abide by time have to wait their turns, have to wait for the latecomers to arrive. Be it any gathering, seminar, conference, workshops, which always start a little late than scheduled time assuming that some people are going to be late. Assuming this, the latecomers get more late. Then everyone waits for these people to arrive before starting proceedings, making the people who come on time to wait for the latecomers. A sheepish smile, a sly grin, a casual apology is all you get when these people are made to realise that they have kept people waiting, that too if you are lucky. Sometimes, the apology never comes, and people just find it very normal to be late and just enjoy the importance being accorded. And invariably, even with those people who express their apologies, you find that they are the ones who will be late again the next time round.
It is best, I think then, to be late and enjoy the privileges. No point in coming on time and if it is a meeting where work is supposed to be distributed within a group, most work has already had to be taken by those who had unfortunately arrived on time. By the time these privileged people come in, all work has already been divided, and they would probably be needed to support those who have already got their jobs, which practically means that you can sit back and relax, as the responsibility of the work being done lies with the punctual person.
Bad habits never leave one. I am trying to quit, but however much I try, I am not succeeding. I am trying to quit being ahead of time always so that I can enjoy the privileges of being a latecomer. Hope I succeed soon.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
In the Interest of the Poor.......
On one of my recent visits to a microfinance institution (MFI) for an assignment, this incident set me thinking.
This NGO was very worried about competition from other financial service providers in the area due to which they were in fear of losing their market very rapidly. The competitors were providing much better quality services at a much lower price, and providing much better customer service than the current NGO.
Now, it was very recently (about 1.5-2 years) that the NGO had started its microfinance operations, otherwise it used to work on other development issues like health, education, advocacy, gender issues etc. They started out with a concern that poor people do not have access to good quality financial services and they started their microfinance operations to address the same. Ofcourse they were not starting microfinance operations to earn money or because it was the latest fashion and everyone else was doing it!!! They were doing it out of their concern for the poor.
After these couple of years, the development activities have taken a backseat and microfinance is their major activity. With the entry of new players in the market and banks lending directly to a section of their clients, they are fast losing their market share. This organisation also realised that all these organisations had deep pockets and can afford to provide better services to the clients than themselves, and they would not be able to match the same even with their best efforts in quite some time to come. This has them worried. They just wished that these players were not there in the market. And this has me perplexed.
If, as the organisation claimed, it was only concerned with the clients getting access to quality financial services, why would they wish that the other players were not there in the market? When these players are providing services better than themselves? When they know they cannot match the other players services for a very long time. Why do they want their clients to still get these services at a lower quality, higher price as long as they take it from them?
Is it not better that the organisation go back and do the development stuff that they did earlier? Now that the reason why they had started microfinance operations were fulfilled? But the organisation did not seem the least interested in going back to the development activities, neither were the staff.
Paisa kamana hai isliye microfinance kar rahe ho, to aisa bolo na yaar.......why this garb of charity???
God save the poor from these "development" organisations.
This NGO was very worried about competition from other financial service providers in the area due to which they were in fear of losing their market very rapidly. The competitors were providing much better quality services at a much lower price, and providing much better customer service than the current NGO.
Now, it was very recently (about 1.5-2 years) that the NGO had started its microfinance operations, otherwise it used to work on other development issues like health, education, advocacy, gender issues etc. They started out with a concern that poor people do not have access to good quality financial services and they started their microfinance operations to address the same. Ofcourse they were not starting microfinance operations to earn money or because it was the latest fashion and everyone else was doing it!!! They were doing it out of their concern for the poor.
After these couple of years, the development activities have taken a backseat and microfinance is their major activity. With the entry of new players in the market and banks lending directly to a section of their clients, they are fast losing their market share. This organisation also realised that all these organisations had deep pockets and can afford to provide better services to the clients than themselves, and they would not be able to match the same even with their best efforts in quite some time to come. This has them worried. They just wished that these players were not there in the market. And this has me perplexed.
If, as the organisation claimed, it was only concerned with the clients getting access to quality financial services, why would they wish that the other players were not there in the market? When these players are providing services better than themselves? When they know they cannot match the other players services for a very long time. Why do they want their clients to still get these services at a lower quality, higher price as long as they take it from them?
Is it not better that the organisation go back and do the development stuff that they did earlier? Now that the reason why they had started microfinance operations were fulfilled? But the organisation did not seem the least interested in going back to the development activities, neither were the staff.
Paisa kamana hai isliye microfinance kar rahe ho, to aisa bolo na yaar.......why this garb of charity???
God save the poor from these "development" organisations.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
I Wear a Mask
(This poem is from some bygone era when i used to write poems......and this is one of my early ones, one of the very few that I wrote in English. I had this on my first blog, just copied it here)
I wear a mask,
To hide the real me from the world
I wear a mask,
For I am afraid the world will know who I really am,
And I am not sure whether thats what it wants me to be
I wear a mask,
To fend off the sniggers and barbs that you might throw at me
I wear a mask,
Because I am afraid to be me.
Yet I want the world to know the real me,
I want you to be my friend
To share with you all my secrets and my insecurities
I want you to understand me
To stand by me whether i am right or wrong
I want you to say you know me.
But I fear you won't understand
And I don't blame you for that,
Because its me who tries my best
Never to take off that mask,
Yet I am tired of it
And wish someone could take it off for me.
What you see of me today,
Is not the real me
I have lived a life
Thinking what others might think
And I have said things
That i felt others would like.
I want you to come,
And take off my mask
I want you to be my friend
I will not tell you so
And I will resist your attempts
Maybe you will be tired
And let go of me
But I want you to try, my friend,
For through you I want
The whole world to see me
Defining a Social Business
There are huge talks about social business, social entrepreneurs, social investors etc. etc. etc. these days......So what exactly is a social business???
A social business is a business where you can mobilise grant funds (free money), claim tax exemptions, earn relaxation on many strict rules that normal businesses have to comply with, get a license to not follow quality benchmarks and remain unprofessional..............and make loads of money (at the cost of the same society for which the social business claims to work), while maintaining the moral high ground for being socially oriented.
A social business is a business where you can mobilise grant funds (free money), claim tax exemptions, earn relaxation on many strict rules that normal businesses have to comply with, get a license to not follow quality benchmarks and remain unprofessional..............and make loads of money (at the cost of the same society for which the social business claims to work), while maintaining the moral high ground for being socially oriented.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Out of My Comfort Zone
I have just read the first few pages of Steve Waugh's autobiography, 'Out of My Comfort Zone', and I already identify with it so much.
The self-doubts that the great man had when he started, the feeling of loneliness, the questions about do I belong here, whether I am good enough to do this, do I deserve this, bring him to a plane which makes one think that even these great men are human, and just like you and me.
I know now what he must have gone through at that time, when he started playing for his state and country, a new phase in life and new challenges, the apprehensions of going to do something that you have never done before but have always wanted to do, and have idolised people who have done it before. I am going through the same phase now, when I want to start my own venture, and I identify to the book so much. Gives a lot of comfort to know that even great men go through the same feelings just as we lesser mortals do.
Like he said in the book, one success and you are away, the confidence is there and you believe that you belong, and then everything else become easy.
Looking for that first milestone, and hoping that it comes soon.
The self-doubts that the great man had when he started, the feeling of loneliness, the questions about do I belong here, whether I am good enough to do this, do I deserve this, bring him to a plane which makes one think that even these great men are human, and just like you and me.
I know now what he must have gone through at that time, when he started playing for his state and country, a new phase in life and new challenges, the apprehensions of going to do something that you have never done before but have always wanted to do, and have idolised people who have done it before. I am going through the same phase now, when I want to start my own venture, and I identify to the book so much. Gives a lot of comfort to know that even great men go through the same feelings just as we lesser mortals do.
Like he said in the book, one success and you are away, the confidence is there and you believe that you belong, and then everything else become easy.
Looking for that first milestone, and hoping that it comes soon.
Reading Delight
I do not know why I do this to myself.
Whenever I see a bookstore, why is it that I cannot control myself from getting in there? When I know that I will again end up buying another set of books. While the amount of money I spend does alarm me after I have come back to my hotel room and got back to my senses, it also pains me to see the number of unread books that I have now accumulated. God knows when I will be able to finish these books. At the same time, when I enter a store, I end up not only buying a lot of books, but also with a list of a few more that get into my list to pick up the next time.
I forgive myself this time. After a long stint at small towns, I saw a Crossword after such a long time, I just could not stop myself from getting in there. Thank you, Pune. Last few months I had had to be content with buying books from those dingy airport stalls.
But no experience matches buying of books from a big bookstore (Landmark is a favorite), browsing through books and spending hours on end there. Well, thats one reason why none of my friends want to get into a bookstore with me. But, once inside one, I hardly need anyone. Books are the world to me.
Whenever I see a bookstore, why is it that I cannot control myself from getting in there? When I know that I will again end up buying another set of books. While the amount of money I spend does alarm me after I have come back to my hotel room and got back to my senses, it also pains me to see the number of unread books that I have now accumulated. God knows when I will be able to finish these books. At the same time, when I enter a store, I end up not only buying a lot of books, but also with a list of a few more that get into my list to pick up the next time.
I forgive myself this time. After a long stint at small towns, I saw a Crossword after such a long time, I just could not stop myself from getting in there. Thank you, Pune. Last few months I had had to be content with buying books from those dingy airport stalls.
But no experience matches buying of books from a big bookstore (Landmark is a favorite), browsing through books and spending hours on end there. Well, thats one reason why none of my friends want to get into a bookstore with me. But, once inside one, I hardly need anyone. Books are the world to me.
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