Where are the "Wheeler's"?

On a recent trip to my home state, I happened to travel in the three most common modes of transportation, i.e. road, rail, and air. During the train journey, I was thinking of how our travel and the associated habits have changed over a period of time. Of late, air travel has become a necessity, which was once a luxury as recent as 15-20 years ago. 

Forget air travel, in our childhood, even a car or a jeep journey was also a luxury. Most long-distance travel used to be via bus only. I had my first train journey at the age of about 7-8, which was for about 70-80 kilometres only. I had to wait for another 10 years before I boarded a train again in May 2002 (that too without a ticket). Bus travel was the cheapest and the only affordable option we had in childhood. We mostly travelled to our ancestral village or to our maternal uncle’s home. For a distance of about 90 kilometres, it used to take about 3 hours. The worst part of my summer vacations were the 6 hours of bus journey to and fro. Usually, the bus would be crowded and normally full, with the aisle packed with people standing. Being children, I would normally get seated on someone’s lap. If lucky, one would get to sit on someone’s lap by the window and have some fresh air. Otherwise, the whole bus would be filled with a stench mixed of engine exhaust, dust, and smell from the bodies of fellow passengers. This foul environment was sometimes punched with occasional exhaust from a few alimentary canals (equal likely hood of smell coming from either end of it) depending on the gastronomic health. People around would respond in different manners, some putting handkerchiefs on their noses and some putting their noses on their upper arms. Everyone around would respond similarly, including the culprit, so that no one doubts him/her. The temporary discomfort usually had a short lifespan considering the moving bus. The silence was sometimes disturbed by an expletive coming from the back side rows. The stained atmosphere was sufficient to cause vomiting within a sort of span of time. This used to be a frequent occurrence whenever I travelled by bus, and over a period of time has generated a dislike for bus travel and has been a cause of emotional distress whenever I travelled by bus in adulthood also. 

Travelling by train was more frequent when I joined NIT Rourkela. Travelling to Rourkela from Sambalpur by train was both an economical and faster option since the distance between the cities was 30 KM shorter by train. Another reason was that there was a high likelihood of friends travelling in the 7:40 AM DMU whose ticket price was almost half of that of Ispat Express, though both reached at about the same time. The train journey was better since it was less crowded than a normal bus and there was enough space to move around freely. Another advantage was that the probability of finding a TTE on the train was just slightly higher than the probability of a goat being a co passenger on the train (actually, once a goat and its owner travelled in DMU with us between two stations after Jharsuguda). The journey was never boring, especially with friends around. After vacations, most of us had some kind of snacks in our bags which we would feast on. One of my marwadi friends had a relative in Jharsuguda who would come and used to provide more snacks sufficient for the rest of the journey. Travelling solo from college was rare, but sometimes I did that. The solo travels would normally be spent looking out in rumination or reading a book. In college days, there was no shortage of novels or books. In general, also, people who loved reading had something to read during the journey or shared with co passengers. The only thing which I used to dislike in train journeys was the hygiene and the disturbance created by eunuchs. 

When I moved out of the state for starting my professional journey, the train travel became  less frequent but longer, usually planned months ahead of time. The longer distance train journeys were mostly solo, but sufficient time ensured that some kind of friendship developed between fellow co passengers. The discussion, which normally would start from the question about your destination, would stretch into all kinds of things of mutual interest. With the rise in basic pay, sleeper class train journeys gave way to air-conditioned travel. The same people were more reserved but still friendly. There was a higher chance of finding people with the same interests as yours but lower chances of striking up a conversation with them. However, this used to give me ample time for reading books. I had a habit of buying books at the station during the start of the journey. Usually, I used to spend the waiting time for trains looking for books at the Wheeler’s or other shops. These were the days prior to the era of Flipkart and Amazon. Hence, browsing physical books used to be a favourite pastime. I have a habit of writing my initials and the date of buying the book and the place of purchase, which acts as a reminder of my travel days.

Air travel has become more frequent after a change in the policy of the corporation with respect to travel. After my recent transfer to North India, personal air travel has also increased. The passengers during air travel are least likely to strike up a conversation, which includes me also. Not striking up a conversation with a stranger is a natural behaviour I display considering my tacit nature and introverted personality. But I feel every passenger sitting beside me has these traits once they enter an airplane. However, this suits me considering my personality traits. 

However, the habits of people travelling have changed considerably since the advent of smartphones. Now people have a co passenger in their pocket, though, with whom they can communicate with a number of people. People can do all kind of activities to keep their mind engaged but require much lesser effort than reading something or striking a conversation. Hence, taking to an unknown person besides you has largely become unnecessary. The last time I travelled, when I peeked over the shoulder of the person sitting next to me, I saw bright screens and as many heads glued to it. This was the observation both in airplanes as well as trains. 

No wonder the “Wheeler’s” have disappeared from the railway stations.

A Single is a Good Shot Too

Recently I came across a video of Harsha Bhogle on You Tube delivering a lecture in IIM A, not the more famous 2005 video but a recent one of 2024. He narrated an anecdote where he described a situation where his brother SMSed him telling that "a single is also a good shot, don't try to hit fours". There is a big life lesson in that statement.

I often love to draw analogy between cricket and life. Cricket is a sport I am passionate about. There are multiple life lessons from sports in general. Every sport you play, or watch have learning which you can apply on real life. But since I have grown up watching and analyzing cricket, I can connect more to this sport than any other. 

Life is like a long Test match of Cricket, not limited to 5 days. In a Test match a player get multiple chance to prove their mettle. Sometimes the pitch is batting friendly and after few sessions of play it suddenly help the spinners to do nasty things with the ball. In other cases, a seam friendly pitch turns into a batsman friendly once the sun comes out and takes the moisture out of the pitch. The accomplished batsman and bowlers understand this, and they use their skills to play according to the conditions. A batsman who understands that in a seam friendly pitch the bowler will have upper hand, and he will always play cautiously. Because he knows that after few hours of play there is a high probability that the ball will lose its shine, and pitch will no longer help the bowler. Then he will have a higher chance of scoring runs against the same bowler. But if, in an effort to show how aggressive a batsman he is, he tries to play flamboyantly, he increases his chance of getting out.

Similarly, life put us in situations where we are ill prepared to face. We try to wriggle out of the situations by taking actions we should not have. At that time the biggest weapon we have is patience. Instead of trying too many things, we just need to take it one day at a time, or in cricketing parlance we should just focus on scoring one run at a time instead of scoring 4s and 6s. Sometimes in life you will go through a nasty situation, and it is likely that you will fail the test. But remember that unlike test cricket where you only get two chances to bat, life gives you multiple chances to bat, you just need to show up the next day. 

Whenever you get a bouncer in life, just try to duck and if that doesn't help & you get out, just come to bat again next morning. But next morning just try to take singles instead of searching for the 4s.

Memories of Paradip

It has almost been 11 years (10 years 10 months to be exact as on date) since I joined Paradip Refinery in 2013. The journey has been long, but it has given me immense satisfaction as well as learning. 

There have been many instances when I had questioned my decision to opt for Paradip Refinery posting. Around end of 2011, I had thought about it a lot whether I should apply for a posting in Paradip. At that time, the refinery was under construction and somehow a negativity was associated with the refinery mostly because of the delay in approval/construction related to the refinery. During construction also there was a fund shortage in the corporation which resulted in deferment of various facilities. Moreover, there was no fully functional township and people were facing hardship in living a comfortable life inside township. In Mathura, I had a very good profile in Technical Services and the learning curve was good. Hence, I had given multiple thoughts before applying for a transfer. Finally, I applied for transfer, mainly because of the following two reason:

1. In TS, it is difficult to learn the dynamics of a plant in operation. The confidence gained while operating a process unit is priceless. I was lacking that experience and I thought getting a good commissioning experience at a young age will be priceless.  

2. Being from Odisha and a new refinery was coming in my state, hence, I did not want to miss a chance to be part of something which would eventually change the energy landscape of the eastern India. 

Based on the above to reasoning I had applied for transfer and got posted in 2012. However, I joined in 2013 since I was retained in Mathura for 1 year. Finally, I joined on 14th May 2013, and a new chapter in my life started. 

Initial period in my personal space as well as office was difficult. I had to start from scratch since no one knew me here. Gradually things started to fall in its places and life got easier. There have been learnings in personal as well as professional life in the last decade, which I will try to summarize.

1. Getting Out of Comfort Zone: 

Working in Tech Services in Mathura Refinery was comfortable. I never worked in Operations, which I feel is more challenging than Tech Services. I was afraid if I could handle man and machine in an operating plant. Initially I was apprehensive but over a period of time I developed skills to manage people and learned how machines work. Working in a new plant gave ample opportunity to fail and learn. The learning is that once you settle for comfort, you stop growing. In professional life, try to have as varied experience as possible during the initial period and trust me, there is not a single job or experience which does not teach you something. So next time a new assignment or an extra work is required to be done in office, volunteer to do the job. The worst thing is that you will fail, and the best thing is that you will succeed. Either way it will enrich you. 

So next time, when your boss gives you extra work, do not ask your boss "Why Me?", but instead ask yourself, "Why Not Me?". That will make all the difference in the long run. 

2. Trust the Process

There have been times in Paradip, I have felt dejected and on the verge of emotional breakdown. I am a person who is expert in hiding feelings. Hence those emotional turmoil were very hard for me to digest, and I had almost given up on life. But somehow, I survived. I don't know if I am a better person than I was 10 years ago but now, I believe that whatever problem someone goes through is designed to teach them a lesson. It has taught me and changed my perspective on life and hopefully I am better and wiser. 

       

3. What happens, happens for good.

On 15th Aug 2022, a freak accident in the plant, I fractured my ankle. I was lucky that I did not fall from height which could have been fatal or did not get head injury (thanks to the PPEs). But the injury was at a time when the unit needed me the most (on going plant maintenance), and the injury was in my ankle which made me immobile for a month. If I had injury in any other part, I could still have contributed. Overall, the timing of the accident and injured organ was the worst possible thing that could have happened. But, on hindsight, this was the best thing that happened to me.

First, my junior, with who I had together made all the execution plan, did an excellent job in managing the turnaround. An uncomfortable situation was forced on him, but he came out in flying colors. My team completed the shutdown and startup of the plant in my absence. So, the confidence of the refinery management in my team increased multifold. 

Secondly, because of the injury, I got a change in assignment which would have been very unlikely otherwise. One thing led to other, and I feel my next assignment was related to the change in job profile that happened earlier.

4. Invest in Yourself

Since 2006, I did not take any professional/certificate course. However, changed policy in the corporation, allowed for higher studies in 2018/2019. In the year 2019, I was chosen to go on a foreign assignment for a period of about a year. During the same time, I also had the opportunity to go for the company sponsored M.Tech. I did not take more than a minute to decide between MTech and foreign assignment. Even though, foreign assignment would have been a learning opportunity, but it would have been a repetition of the work I had already done. Hence, I choose to go for higher studies. And I have never regretted the decision. Irrespective of the learning from the course work, what the professors from IIT/ICT taught me was that we should always strive to learn. Reading and learning new things not only gives you knowledge but also changes you as a person. Hence never ever hesitate to invest in yourself and your growth. Keep learning. 

5. Keep the Child inside you alive.

I still love to make models at home as I did in childhood. Last time me and my daughter made a replica of a boat for Kartika Purnima. Before that we made a model of the James Webb Telescope. I get immense pleasure in working on the bonsai plants I have nurtured. I feel a sense of satisfactions when I see the trees planted around my quarter has grown up to big ones bearing fruit and harboring birds. My daughter has learnt this habit from me, and she cares for the plants also. Even if you don't have a kid, keep the child inside you alive. Be inquisitive, and teachable. Develop a knack for questioning things and trying things without a care for success and failure. Take pleasure in small wins and forget the losses. Adopt a hobby, preferably one which involves outdoor activities. Life is shorter than you think, so fill the moments with small memories. As one of dear friend says, life need not be fancy, but it should be fulfilling.

2024, has been great till now. A lot of things have suddenly gone right for me. Since I will be going to a new location, I have a tinge of sadness for leaving a place with so many memories. But I am also excited to explore the new one and opportunity it will provide for me and my family. Paradip is also a place I got married and became a father. I am forever grateful to the almighty for giving me a wonderful life partner who has supported me, changed me for better. Also grateful for the biggest blessings of my life, my daughter, who has provided a new meaning to my life. 

In the early part of my life, I used to think that petrol pumps directly extract petrol from underground and they are located where there is a petroleum reserve. In the late 1990s, as a school going kid, I had heard and read about a planned refinery in Paradip in the eastern coast of India. I grew up to study chemical engineering and work in Indian Oil (that itself is a story of serendipity). I was lucky to be a part of the team that received the first crude oil in the refinery and the 1st Process Unit (Crude Distillation Unit) was commissioned when I was the Panel in charge on 26th April 2015. I have been lucky to have worked with people having immense work ethics and talent. From a driver who had gained so much knowledge by just listening to conversations, to JEAs who have crawled under equipment's to check its correct installations, to people who have selflessly put themselves in danger in case of firefighting, to my bosses who have guided me, they all have been a source of inspiration.  

In life in general and in Paradip, I have been lucky. People have trusted me and advocated for me even though there are more hardworking, smarter and more knowledgeable colleagues than me. I have got more than I deserved in life. But from reading about a refinery to commissioning it, has been a wonderful stroke of luck. 

rabindra

14-March-2024

A Raindrop and a Leaf

Fate has bonded them,

May be for a moment, may be longer.

A gentle breeze, holding sway or

A scorching sun later in the day,

Will Split them, in a moment not far away.

If it falls, among the roots,

Will return to the leaf to nurture,

Or it will return again,

As a different drop in a different rain..

(Thinking of an analogy with our lives, many people come to our lives, some for few moments and some longer. Eventually we split but we help each other grow in one way or other. There is no good or bad. Sometimes we are the drop, sometimes we become the leaf.)

Corruption free India for a developed Nation

Corruption: dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.

The popular definition of corruption is defined as a dishonest conduct by a person in power involving bribery. The person in power, typically gives another person / organization some undue favor in lieu of monetary or non-monetary benefits. In all the cases of corruption, it has two sides. One is the person who gives the favor and other is the person who takes the undue favor. Corruption cannot be prevalent if either of the parties does not cooperate. India traditionally is known to be a corrupt nation. India ranks 85 out of 180 countries in the Transparency Internationals corruption index in its latest release. Corruption is not limited to monetary loss of any particular being, but it has variety of implications in political, economic, social, environmental, national security. Corruptions among political leaders of the government reduces the trust public has on the government, public institutions and the electoral process. This seriously dents the prospect of an independent democracy. Economic implications of corruptions include reluctance of investors to invest in development of the country and even if they invest it is done at a higher cost which again reduces the affordability of the project. All these implications directly impact the GDP of the nation which affects the quality of life a person can afford, and a government can provide. If corruption has so much implication, do we have a system to prevent it? Yes, Government of India has prepared legal framework for fighting corruption. Various acts like Prevention of Corruption Act, Prevention of Money laundering Act, Companies Act, Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, Lokpal and Lokayukta Act have provisions to prevent and penalize corrupt practices. Further with GOI’s recent initiatives like linking Aadhar to Bank Accounts, Direct Benefit Transfer and Digital Payment have greatly helped in reducing corrupt practices.

 

But are these initiatives sufficient for a developed nation? Is it the sole responsibility of the government to reduce and prevent corruption? No, it is not. Corruption and its prevention are responsibility of all citizens. We have to pledge to not participate in corrupt practices ourselves even if this brings us uncomfortable situations to face. As stated, earlier corruption survives if both sides cooperate. When one side doesn’t then corrupt practices won’t survive. This is where a common citizen has the power to bring a major change. But for the growth of the nation, this is not sufficient. We not only have to stop corruption which involves financial exchanges but, for continued development of a nation as a whole generation after generations, we need to avoid corruption of moral and ethical values among citizens. With time, the definition of morals and ethics changes but some of the values, like honesty, integrity, and probity are timeless treasures. These are the things which is the foundation of any relationship, including the relationship with yourself. We need to be honest with ourselves and always do the right things irrespective of the circumstances were are in or whether we are being watched / supervised or not. When moral compass is good and we ourselves are the sternest inspector of our actions, then only our characters will be strong. Moreover, we need to cultivate these values among us as well as inculcate these in our children, which will make a lasting impact and pave the way for a developed nation. For a developed nation, let us pledge to be good citizens and be proud of our strong moral values and characters.

As aptly captured in a Sanskrit phrase “शीलम परम भूषणम”, let our Characters be our highest virtue.

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(This essay was my entry to internal essay competition on the title, which won the 2nd prize)

 

A worthy opponent competes with you or completes you?

Few days ago, Roger Federer retired. The final speech made almost all the spectators around the world emotional, including me and surprisingly, my wife (she is not a tennis fan). I was not this emotional even during Sachin or Dravid's retirement. I felt sad on both Sachin and Dravid's retirement but not emotional. But the scene which stole the heart was where Nadal and Federer were sitting side by side and holding each other hands. Both were teary eyed and it was difficult to find out who was consoling whom. What made it special and surprising is that Nadal is not just any other person or player. He was of course a friend but was also a fierce competitor of Federer and caused him many heartbreaks beating him in the court. But that day, they were just two humans expressing their uncontrolled emotions. Nadal, before Federer retired said that with the retirement of Federer a part of him was also leaving the tennis courts. It was surely the beginning of the end of the golden ear of modern tennis. The trio of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic had dominated men’s tennis for more than a decade and entertained us with some exciting play of tennis.

Looking at all the three tennis greats in the same European Team in Laver Cup, one thought came to my mind. Is it possible that if, all the three had played tennis separately in different eras, would they have been such good players as they became or they would have been a little less good player? Was Federer a great player or became great because he had Nadal and Djokovic as opponent? Some would argue that if he had not Nadal or Djokovic as opponent some one else would have been a worthy opponent, may be a better player than Nadal. It is a valid counter argument to a hypothetical situation. But still the question will be valid. So, the question is does a great competitor completes you? Was Arjun great because Karna was his opponent? Was Achilles great because he chooses to fight the Trojan War in spite of chance of him getting killed? In general, does a great challenge brings the best out of you?

I think the answer to the questions will be, yes. A fierce competitor or battle makes the win more worthwhile. It brings the best out of every one whether you lose or not. Federer lost 6 times in Grand slam finals against Nadal, but not without a fight (most of the times). Does that statistics make Nadal a better player than Federer? I think no. The greatest out come of the battles was that both players craved the best out of their human potential to compete against each other. In the process they both became the best version of themselves. I think that is what Nadal (and Federer) realized when he said that a part of him will be leaving tennis with Federer's retirement. That is why both were attached emotionally to each other because they knew they were incomplete without the other.

But for most of us, our battles are hardly against opposite humans. Mostly we fight situations and some other times the demons within us. Normally we do not choose the situations ourselves but we always choose to fight or not. So, the next time you face a challenge where you think you will fail, just remember that life has thrown a worthy opponent at you.

A worthy opponent will transform you and make you a better warrior in the battles of life, whether you win or lose.

Be a Stepping Stone

In January 2022, 2 things happened which really made me happy. 

One my juniors in Office, who I know since 2014 and has been working under me since then got promoted to a higher grade. For the promotion, he had to qualify a written examination and a personal interview. It was his third attempt and probably his last. He had narrowly missed being qualified for the exam in all the two times. I knew he had potential and was a sincere guy. We were constantly working together for the examination. But somehow he used to fail. In 2020, when he did not qualify for the written part of the examination, he was so demotivated and depressed that he did not have the courage to talk to me or face me. On a December morning that year, we had met in the park near our quarters and I had advised him not to lose hope and try again with an sense of purpose / mission. ('Junoon" is the hindi word we had used). In 2021 he got selected. He visited my house on 16th January and profusely thanked me for the small contribution I had made.

In the second incident, when I was in the Learning and Development Center of the refinery, one 22 year old came and greeted me by touching my feet. I was surprised to see him since he was a trainee few years ago under me doing his 1 year industrial training. He had succeeded his examination and was joining our corporation.

2 other person I know, always wish me on teachers day, every year since 2014. Both are working, one in Infosys and other in some government NGO. During 2013, I had taught them Physics, for helping them prepare for JEE. 

To be true, my contribution in all the above stories are minuscule as compared to the effort they have put. We all have persons in our lives, who help us climb the ladder of success. Some are with us throughout our lives and some are with us for a brief periods. They can be any one, your parents, teachers, siblings, relatives or friends. Sometimes you do not even know that they have helped. 

It is a great feeling to have helped someone achieve their potential or dream. Be that person. Start with your children & relatives and help them achieve excellence. Be a mentor. If you have a mentor, then also try to succeed in life since it will definitely make them happy.

The day my junior thanked me for his success, it made me immensely proud and happy, more than when I get promoted. The feeling is priceless. Another priceless feeling is when your mentors are proud of your achievement. One day in March 2020, one of my Primary school teacher I met in a function introduced me to her colleagues as a highlight of her teaching career. That compliment, till today, is the best complement of my life.

Always be a mentor and a mentee, because life is a process of learning and try to be the best version of yourself.

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