There is a lot of focus in these trying economic climate on the performance of an individual. People all over but particularly in the IT sector are being handed pink slips on the basis of poor performance. A lot has also been said about the below par skills of our IT workforce. But what has not been touched upon is the lack of a motivation for an individual to perform well.

Managers try to lord over all the resources under them. There is no importance accorded to an individual on the basis of the skills he/she posseses. Business criticality is the sole criterion that determines value. To me this approach appears to be extremely opportunistic...

The average city dweller in these times suffers from what I refer to as the monotony syndrome. Despite all the modern wonders the struggle for existence and the urge to stay ahead of the pack leaves little, if any, room for people to relax and explore what the world has to offer. We do roughly the same things everyday and what aggravates the situation further is that we end up doing the same recreational activities every single time we feel the urge to relax and pause a bit. We spend most of our weekends visiting malls, watching movies or going on short drives which we fondly refer to as “long drives” chiefly to satisfy our own egos.

In our bid to remain competitive(read relevant) we have twisted and even corrupted the meaning of simple words such as “success” and “winning”...

Recently Priyanka Gandhi appeared in a television interview with Barkha Dutt on NDTV. Upon being asked if she really held no grudges against Nalini for killing her father, Priyanka gave an answer that set me thinking. The straight forwardness of the reply struck me.

Priyanka said that she had been “furious” with the world for a year after Rajiv’s assassination. However now she has forgiven Nalini. She said that the realization that Nalini herself was a victim of circustances had brought about this change in her. As she realized that Nalini too was a victim and that she herself had suffered a lot, Priyanka’s own victimhood had disappeared. She said in a way both of them were victims. The absence of the feeling of victimhood had allowed her to be non judgemental...

The next morning we woke up early to go to Auli, a very well known skiing destination. As we stepped outside our guesthouse we were greeted by the morning sun shining on the snow clad peaks giving them a golden hue. It was almost as if the mountains were wearing golden crowns.

Rajesh was there waiting for us with the cab and on time as always. Auli is a steep 17 km uphill climb from Joshimath that takes one from an elevation of 6500 feet above sea level to an elevation of 10200 feet above sea level. The road was narrow, steep and winding with sharp curves and bends. The drive takes one through the establishment of the Indian Army’s Ibex Brigade who are specialists in high altitude warfare. Men from this brigade did wonders in the Kargil war...

A trip to the Uttarakhand Himalayas had been in the offing for a long time. It was realized during the long Easter weekend(10th April to 13th April). The destination agreed upon was Auli, a well known skiing resort in the Garhwal Himalayas. The itinerary, the route and the mode of transport were agreed upon and arranged for before our departure from Noida. We left Delhi on the 10th of April by the Hazrat Nizamuddin –Dehradun AC Special at 11:55 pm. The train was on time and we alighted from the train at Haridwar at 4 am on the 11th. Our cab, a Tavera, and our driver, Rajesh, were waiting for us at the railway station. We bought some packets of potato chips and had a few slices of bread butter before we started on our 300 km journey to Joshimath.

Rajesh is an exprienced and seasoned vete...