#Thoughts: Learning work ethics from a Kachra wallah

We don’t stop learning. We can learn anytime, anywhere, from anyone. That is what is expected from us in our lives. 

We all have heard a lot about the Dabba wallas of Mumbai. The Dabba wallahs deliver Tiffin boxes at the right places with six sigma accuracy. Some days back I came across one person, who made me learn a thing or two on work ethics. 

By Kachra wallah I mean the guy who every morning collects garbage/wastes from door to door in our residential apartments and discharge it to the municipal garbage collection vehicle.

My first encounter with him was interesting. I was taking my morning bath and here someone starts ringing call bell. I needed some time to come out, but hey! He now starts knocking at the door; thinking may be the call bell is not working. After a lot of knocks and some speedy efforts from me, I open the door and find the hero of this story standing there. 

He had put up T-shirt and knickerbockers (trousers ending above knees). Is he a cool dude? Let us go in detail…. 

He was a thin man in his forties, but looking much older. His rickety legs were visible from the knickerbockers. But he had an expressive face. I become annoyed to find that the guy was a kachra wallah.  Before I could speak, he starts off in a loud voice, “Kachra do naa. Kitni baar darwaajaa khatkhataya” (“Give me the garbage. How many times I have knocked at your door!”). 

What? I lose my cool and tell him that if I don’t turn up, he can’t force me to give it to him. I smiled at my own statement. But he is not convinced and asks me to hurry up. 

From that day onwards, he comes to my door and knocks until I appear; either I give him his beloved kachra or I tell him that I didn’t generate any! Now onwards, I will call him GMan – Garbage Man (this is different from Gmale/Gmail :). 

After some days, he observes that he is not able to collect garbage from my flat, as by the time he comes to the ground floor, collecting garbage from all the upper floors, I am out of the house (for office). To my amazement, now he started collecting garbage from lower to upper floors! He continued in this absurd manner (he has to carry the load upwards) for one month. Then one day, someone from the society scolded him for doing that the unconventional way. He asked our guy to collect downwards only. Our GMan found merit in that and now I see him only 4 times a week. 

One day, I saw him carrying his garbage basket out from our housing society. Then suddenly he stopped. There were some plastic wrappers lying at some distance. He collects them and put them into his basket. Then he carries on. This I not expected, because cleaning the lawn is the responsibility of someone else! This makes me think a little more about him…..

When I think, I can easily count several traits that make his case a perfect example of good work ethics:   

• He is punctual at his work, and never absent.
• He is passionate for his job. He is ready to argue and will get the job done at any cost. GMan stays at my door, unless I appear.
• To satisfy his customers, he is flexible, even if that cause him some pain. GMan carries the garbage up the ladder, so that he doesn’t miss one flat on the ground.
• He listens to others and is ready to change if he finds merit in that. GMan changed his path again upwards, because that was the efficient method.
• He goes beyond his defined job responsibility. GMan is ready to pick up the garbage from the ground, which is actually assigned to some other person.
• He doesn’t want to be praised. He is content with the timely completion of his work. No one praises GMan for his good work.
• Am I going too far, in extracting something called “good work ethics” out of our GMan? What is a work ethic? “The work ethic is a cultural norm that advocates being personally accountable and responsible for the work that one does and is based on a belief that work has intrinsic value.” Read this definition, and I am proud to come across this GMan – a perfect example or good work ethic. 

I still don’t know his real name. But now I do some Googling. Do you know what they call our Kachra Wallahs in the US? In the US, he is also called Waste collector, Garbage man, Garbage collector, Trash collector, or Sanitation engineer. The last name will provide our GMan some inspiration.

- Rahul

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Laxmi
June 15, 2009 at 5:53 pm ·
very interesting blog …………………..hmmm my GWOMAN IS NOT DAT ETHICAL……….but i hv learnt from ur Gman……………sanitation engineer really good one!

Thohe Pou
July 23, 2007 at 2:54 pm ·
“All those who do not have work ethics are those who have brain to work but no etiquette to work with others” -thohe

angel a
June 1, 2007 at 11:16 pm ·
Eye opening post Rahul….I truly loved it.. Hope we all learn some work ethic from your Gman.. Not forgetting the fact that he gets so less for all the efforts he puts in, while we so called civilized ppl take home fat salaries yet, use office technology for personal work.. Warm regards, Angel

shivani narula
April 9, 2007 at 10:16 am ·
this was a very good example of work ethics reminds me of gandhiji……thanks for sharing

KR
March 24, 2007 at 7:49 pm ·
I got to read best of the the bests- this one. the article had all colours of amusement, pity, guilt and of course inspiration. sometimes i think, you were vivekananda in your previous birth, with the difference that he could speak amazingly without any labour and you can write.

Yashvant
March 24, 2007 at 7:41 pm ·
Dear Rahul,

This is a very good and thought provoking article. Congratulations. I think you should contact some leading newspapers to publish it.. I feel you are going in the eight direction.. try to write some more articles. I am sure you will become a famous writer one day.. my whole hearted best wishes..

CM Verma
March 24, 2007 at 7:41 pm ·
Rahul has a deep touch with sourrounding & esp towards india and this one is a new chapter adding to that..

very nice..

i always enjoy reading that..
keep continue..

BG
March 24, 2007 at 7:40 pm ·
A good attempt.

Is it his love of the job / responsibility / ethics / moral values or the uncertainty surrounding his job ? There is always an element of need which inspires individual behaviour. Good work ethics originate from inner strength and understanding.

Dabbawallas is a classic example of the “System design” – people working there are bound by the system and carry out a samll activity contributing only to that extent, they may not be responsible for the entire system efficiency.

Adarsh
March 24, 2007 at 7:40 pm ·
It is a gr8 piece to read . But certainly it has some inspirational values in it .

I think we shd try to pick up these values in our life also.

PP
March 24, 2007 at 7:40 pm ·
Very Good article. Why don't you send this to one of our leading newspapers.

I appreciate your creativity.

D. Shekhar
March 24, 2007 at 7:38 pm ·
Hi Rahul,

“Work Ethics” seems a heavy term.But it is just about the way one takes one”s duty.The “one” can be anyone from Gman to CEO of some mamoth organization.

There is always a scope to learn from each and every individual.I would really appreciate that you zeroed in on Gmans who are generally ignored and their work are not perceived respectfully.

In the last paragraph, you have used “Sanitation engineer” for Gman.The new name will give them a bit of pride.But if we could do something concrete and material to salute their Work Ethics,to well – feed and educate their children then they will always beem with pride and love for their work, with their heads high.Rickety legs can not bear the weight of this pride for long.Why not to cure this malnutrition.

I would like if you come up with some encouragement plan for them in your next article.

Raghu
March 24, 2007 at 7:37 pm ·
Dear Rahul,

Before commenting on the piece you wrote, I really appreciate you, for sharing your thoughts from day-to day experiences.
You are on right path, trying to figure out learning from whatever experiences you are facing. No doubt your thought process is open with no discrimination at all on the basis,.. whom you take it from. Logic coupled with wisdom is what you are using at its best.

Now coming to feedback zone to your mail. My leanings as under.

1. I think everyone is unique, not for the matter what job(your Gman) or one”s doing.
2. You can learn from anything/anyone, if it benefits you or generates novel ideas in self/ impacts society positively.
3. Discrimination on one”s status in society, blocks you out. This really don”t help learning.
4. Work ethics(Good….also Bad) can be a chain reaction, can make or brake yourself/organisation/community/locality.

In the process of writing feedback, I feel mentally I am conditioning my brains towards useful thoughts.

Ghosh
March 24, 2007 at 7:36 pm ·
Nice One. I do believe that you have the capacity to see things in objective way, learn from the incidents and not only that share with others.

Hope you may compile all these and publish in form of a book some day.

B. Sharma
March 24, 2007 at 7:35 pm ·
Let me appreciate your views as you could have seen the most neglected activity but the most important. I agree with your views that these type of persons must be loved and respected for their inspiration. But instead of Sanitation Engineer would it not be better to call him “Karmyogi”.

M. T. Rao
March 24, 2007 at 7:35 pm ·
Good to learn things from any good source.

Ankur
March 24, 2007 at 7:34 pm ·
I found it quite interesting

D. Khosla
March 24, 2007 at 7:22 pm ·
Good observation once again…

Can”t think of any comments…rt now…will surely post the same to you, if at all I strike it…

Rashmi
March 24, 2007 at 7:21 pm ·
hey,

Dont have any review to give but sure u are a good observer and know how to extricate the gud out of anything!!!

Chandan
March 24, 2007 at 7:21 pm ·
This articles of yours reinstates that how keen observer you are.
taking something good out of futile things like G-Man is truly remarkable.
this idea is also fresh and original – no plagiarism.
This is very much our own style – the rahul style.
I would love to read few more articles like this.

Srinivas
March 24, 2007 at 7:21 pm ·
This Gman example is one the very good example of work ethics. One should have that passionate about his work. IF some body is not motivated towards his job than he will not put his 100% and simultaneously he may not be able to motivate others.

R. Sinha
March 24, 2007 at 7:20 pm ·
Hey rahul, this is really a good piece of writing. You write well.

Moreover lots of inspiration from your writings. Keep it up dear.

Arpita
March 24, 2007 at 7:18 pm ·
Very nice article yaar!! really !! The same thing I face everyday in my flat also but I never thought so much about it.. and I have also started thinking about them… they are really punctual and they get their work done at any cost.

Nice observation Rahul !! Keep it up…

Sai
March 24, 2007 at 7:16 pm ·
good morale booster rahul….continue writing….

R. Mohanti
March 24, 2007 at 7:16 pm ·
I want this to share with my close friends. Will you permit me pl.

H. Jaiswal

March 24, 2007 at 7:16 pm ·
Hi

Do you write this by your own ? I mean to say do you realy feel things in

such manner . Nice peice of writing . GOOD if it is your original thoughts .

Jitendra
March 24, 2007 at 7:14 pm ·
preety good insight…..and i enjoyed reading it. Acha hai kuch kuch likhte raho…..that will further improve your skills and persona. really nice one. thanks

Sarita
March 24, 2007 at 7:12 pm ·
I always appreciate your observation and passion to learn from small small things. Hey its great and not all can do that

Name
February 25, 2007 at 6:38 pm ·
An inspirational piece of writing Rahul My hats of to person who had inspired you to write this piece – the Kachara Wala

ravikiran
February 24, 2007 at 6:13 pm ·
Lot of people do great work for society but we dont recognize the contribution they make, this is a classic example. Look at it this was what if Garbage collector, plumber…. refuse to come to work, they is going to be lot of dirt and water coming out ;)

So if v cant give them rise evry year we can atleast make sure their contribution doesnt go unnoticed…

Niharika Bose
January 12, 2007 at 5:22 pm ·
comments not found

siddharth arora
December 28, 2006 at 4:34 pm ·
comments not found

#Personal: A cute little story

Concept of relative motion says, those resting on earth are not actually in rest. Sometimes we are stuck in awe in strange places in odd times. Take a short trip to believe that.

Last evening, I was passing through a narrow lane. It had just stopped raining and the road looked liked the planet earth (potpourri of water and land). To avoid it, I started walking over the step of an under construction shop. A puppy (not a Hutch pup) was trying hard to get over the step. But he was unable to do so as its body length was too short to climb up the step. When I looked up to find what he was up to, I noticed two of its siblings sleeping on the floor. So our little Tommy wanted to get its share of the world. Another case of separated siblings… ((I thought if I left it there, perhaps some goon will take it with him and after 20 years it will grow into a thug, while one of its siblings will become a police inspector and the other (sis) will get married to a rich gentle(business)man. Then they will fight on the street, with droves of dogs watching them. In true Bollywood style. I laughed at my imagination))

Then I pulled it up with both my hands and left it on the floor, near to its friends. As I walked on, the little puppy joined its siblings and went asleep. I can still feel the tickle on my hands, as I touched the newly born pup. It took me one minute to help the pup, but I feel good even now.

Life is made up of these small tidbits. It is up to you to enjoy these small occasions or to ignore them and complain that life is dull and restless. So be in the present and enjoy each and every bit of it.

- Rahul

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Bad Angel
June 9, 2007 at 3:20 pm ·
Loved the pic! :) “Life is made up of these small tidbits.”—-> Totally agree and my fav quote happens to be, “Life is not about milestones, it is about moments! “

CM Verma
March 26, 2007 at 6:04 pm ·
You write very well esp. i found you have a good taste of India.

PP
March 26, 2007 at 6:04 pm ·
Very nice to read this cute story.

Rahul, you are a kind hearted person with full of good thoughts.

I fully agree with you what you mentioned in the last para.

Madhu
March 26, 2007 at 5:56 pm ·
That was really a good story..indeed.

SJ
March 26, 2007 at 5:56 pm ·
Great indeed to get the humorous and full of wisdom stories from a silent revolutionary.

By the time, you start knowing some one, he is already gone to the deserving height.

keep on doing the quiet communication, it gives us fresh air, which surrounds but is nit inhaled by us.

Milan

March 26, 2007 at 5:55 pm ·
Dear Rahul,

Very nice and inspiring story.

This act of yours shows how kind you are and how much you care about others. Dont let this spirit die as in this world ( Kalyug ) only few people have it.

Also, you have good writting skill , which may give you a good direction. Don”t let down your skill even when you are overloaded in your office work. This is my very personal advice to you.

The Surname

Although I had shifted to my present housing/flat two months ago, I hadn’t met any of my neighbors yet. Last Sunday, I realized this and here I was at the door of the flat opposite to mine.  

A boy opens the door. I ask him to call his father or mother: "May I get to meet uncle or aunt?"

A person in his 50s comes up without his shirt over his vest. He seems to be coming out of the kitchen, where he must be cooking. I hate those men who cook regularly :). Anyways, here I go:  

I told him that I hadn't seen anyone in the apartment despite spending two months there, so I had pressed his call bell. "If you are busy with dinner or something, I may come tomorrow".

"Ya. Busy... Actually I was watching TV. OK, you come tomorrow."

Such a short meeting!.. No problem, at least I broke the jinx. . .  

Then he asks, "Do you work somewhere?" 

"Yes, I work at ... company. The office is on the ... chowk. You know that?"

"OK I see. I am a contractor at ... Corporation.. What is your surname?" 

Surname?...... SURNAME?........ S-U-R-N-A-M-E? I still don't know how to justify anyone asking this question. 

The man continued, "You see.. (He brings the nameplate on the door in front of my face) "I am D.R. Yadav and we are Maharashtrians".

I replied looking in his eyes (for his reaction).. "My name is... And I am from outside Maharashtra. OK, we shall meet again." 

"Yes, sometime in the morning."

"Actually I leave for office by 8.30 in the morning. I will meet you in the evening." 

"OK"

Both of us knew that we shall not meet the next morning or the next evening. And we have not met again.

- Rahul

***

Post Script in year 2019: The above piece was written in year 2006. After 12 years and gaining much grey hair, I see this episode differently. Way back in 2006 when I was in my 20s, I was offended when asked for my "surname". Although with experience I have seen that a lot of times people who are asking this question do not have any malice in their heart; they may just be looking for a "connection" - that is all. But I agree, that not everyone is same and hence this remains a contentious issue. 

Warriors in a Truck

I want to share with you what I saw last night.  

Every day in our cement plant, fleets of trucks come and leave for loading and unloading material. Because of delay in loading etc, often the truck drivers and their helpers need to stay in the night near the 'truck yard'. This is what they go through: They take out stoves and utensils, which they always carry with them. Then they purchase something to cook or take out the leftovers with them. They cook food, each one, in front of his truck. They take their dinner there. And then, after spreading a sheet on the ground, they go to sleep......... on the ground.........., by the road side..... under the open sky........., amid mosquitoes..........   

I had seen this many times, but noticed it last night. The truck-driver that appears on TV ads, did you know their hardships? And when we enjoy a night's sleep, with ACs running, millions of poor people toil & moil to earn for their families. It made me feel bad, and I felt an urge to make a difference in at least one less-privileged life......."

- Rahul

[I sent this email to all my colleagues and all were touched after reading it. They appreciated my concern and asked me to send it to the plant manager also. I sent it to our plant manager and then talked to him. I requested him to build some quarters for the truck drivers. He said that it was a good idea but there is always a cost involved...]

Rainy days are here again

The key to happiness is to like what we have got, and not in longing for what we could have. 

The day I arrived in Mumbai, the first rain of the season started. It rained and rained afterwards to the extent that Mumbai lifeline local trains stopped, schools got closed and offices wound up before the usual time. Streets were flooded and newspapers were flooded too with news and views about rains. Water is a great leveler. It makes all the plains and holes to look at the same level. It levels all the different classes, as they are all talking about the same thing. It levels all the religions as all are praying for a common purpose. ‘rain rain, go away… come again another day…’. It has rained to the extent that Umesh says “U for Umbrella” over phone to a client. 

I don’t like rains

Frankly speaking, I don’t like rains. So I don’t understand the craziness when some people love to go out in the rain… I don’t call rain a very natural condition for humans, but it does wet-cleaning to some of our managerial skills. For example, in the rainy days we always plan and schedule almost all our activities to remain high-and-dry. We help someone on the streets. We develop compassion for that old lady in all the mess. Some of us become quality personnel, with concern over hygiene. We learn to look the world differently. I feel the world itself is different during rainy season. 

Down with the rain

I still don’t know how to counter the argument in a passage from my school book “Don’t be like water; it has a natural tendency to go down. Rivers start from mountain tops, go down and down until they end up in a salty sea, thereby losing their identities.” But when I tell my colleagues here that I don’t like getting wet, that I feel my umbrella is not sufficiently large, that I shall wait for the rain to stop, that we should have a hot air blow in the office to dry our cloths (I even suggested recycling hot air exhaust from ACs for the purpose), they say “It doesn’t matter whether you like it or not; there is no choice!”. 

I do like rains

It is true. For much of my disappointment, there is no choice. I can’t control the rains, but wait, I can control my own feelings about rains. So let me say I like rains. Yes, I like rains….. I like everything associated with rains, all those raindrops, rainbows, greenery, sound, paper boats, raincoats, umbrellas, holidays, water, drain, mud; I like anything associated with rains. I like rains.  

Surprisingly, it has stopped raining after I said this.

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eureka mind
June 28, 2008 at 1:13 pm ·
great writing skills … and good post.

Uma Nair
May 17, 2008 at 7:12 pm ·
beautifully written…………… I like rain very much………esp. the fragrance of the soil which comes when few drops of rain touch the land, jumping in pail of water………… the list will goes on…………. I can”t say rain rain go away………..:)

Bad Angel
June 9, 2007 at 3:04 pm ·
I don”t mind the rains when I am indoors with a cuppa but when I venture out I NEED a clear sky. Else am all cribbing!

shivani narula
April 25, 2007 at 6:39 pm ·
i have a different perspective on rain..

KR
March 26, 2007 at 6:24 pm ·
I really agree with all your friends that your articles are absolutely marvellous. i believe that you write in even more interesting and of course decent way compared to chetan bhagat.

Rajat
March 26, 2007 at 6:10 pm ·
hey ur writing skills r damn good man.. the quotations and explanations all r awesome.. keep it up..

Sonal
March 26, 2007 at 6:10 pm ·
There is one suggestion.Please write a novel.Your language and expression are gifted and you”d be successful like Chetan Bhagat once your novel is published.

Rania
March 26, 2007 at 6:08 pm ·
Of course now we have summer with a hot weather (temperature a round 33 C SO I TRIED TO FIND A NOTHER WAY TO FEEL RELAX & HAPPY ( leaving the offiice & take a long holiday then find a good place to stay there until I feel better ! (of course this cost more money but no way ! ).

Rania
March 26, 2007 at 6:08 pm ·
I wonder why you hate the rain , here we pray for rain , & you can ask
Allah(God) any thing while it”s raining (from honest heart & reading holy
Qur”an) & for sure he will reply.

I like to walk under rain very much this makes me feel many feeling (may i can”t describe this well because of my english not strong enough) , some times you feel your heart become smaller & smaller you can”t breath well , walking under rain makes you feel your heart become larger & larger , you feel you are stronger & your sadness ran away slowly & slowly , then suddenly you feel you are very cold because you will have completely wet clothes , you will run a way to your home with the best felling ( if you don”t take a cold!) , may it seems to be crazy to do so but really i always do that when i feel very sad & all the world against me , then i returned happier than before & more relax.

Sangeeta
March 26, 2007 at 6:06 pm ·
Read your article & realized that you really have a flair for writing ……………………….tell me something ,do you write diary on a regular basis ?…if not ….u should try to find out some time from your busy schedule & express yourself in those white sheets.
I think we all have a mixed feeling about rain.On a rainy day it is nice if we are at home with our near & dear ones,watching TV or listening to good music while munching some bhajjis……………..also one feels great to watch monsoon pouring in the streets from the top floor balcony.On the other hand ,we hate rain when we are strangled in the middle of waterlogged street deperately waiting to get hold of a cab to reach home!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Arun M
March 26, 2007 at 6:04 pm ·
Great Yaar!! You are an inborn writer and great prospects waiting for you if you are serious about it.

Arpita
March 26, 2007 at 6:04 pm ·
Nice one !! you have expressed everything very nicely….. sometimes I feel that it would be better if you could have become a writter or journalist…. whatever you do, you do it with full perfection….. that is the best part of your nature.

Annu
March 26, 2007 at 6:03 pm ·
Beautifully written….The passage has made a subtle reflection of your feelings and has been potrayed in a right manner….
Some grammatical correctness needs some emphasis to have an essence of perfectness in your writing….viz…there is no back with returned…..no other choice can be substituted with “Hobson”s Choice”..etc etc…

Yeah, you have broaden your thinking process by citing good examples/phrases…..

Keep it high….try something on writing poems….it would definitely have a positive impact on oneself….I used to write some during my school days…but apparently stopped as career planned forced me to stoop in some other activities….anyway, this may be a lame excuse…

Khosla
March 26, 2007 at 5:51 pm ·
another beautiful article from your side. It is good to se that you have acclimatized with the Mumbai rains. Your next traget should be the Mumbai TRAINS….especially after the recent blasts that shocked the city….

Agnes
March 26, 2007 at 5:49 pm ·
Thank you for your mail. Life is so much different here (in France) but I can ensure you that people here do not like rain either, even if rain is really no big deal here.

Jitendra
March 26, 2007 at 5:47 pm ·
yaar tum hamesha emotional kyo rehta hai

Akhilesh
March 26, 2007 at 5:47 pm ·
someday you will be a great writer…

Arif
March 26, 2007 at 5:43 pm ·
Thats a nicely written part..
Iloved to read it..except for the fact that I do love water :)

Travelogue: My Visit of Malaysia "TRULY ASIA"

I visited Kuala Lumpur (or "KL" as it is commonly known), Malaysia in March 2005. The visit was official. My company was sending me along with a colleague to take part in a much-sought-after conference for young engineers in the Lafarge Group; a program by the parent group company. But it turned out to be equally beneficial on the personal front in terms of site-seeing and visiting "Videsh". The participants were a group of 18 people: 2 from India, 4 each from Malaysia, Philippines and Bangladesh, 3 from Jordan, and 1 from Venezuela. This was my first foreign trip.  

We caught the Malaysian Airlines flight from Kolkata's Dumdum airport at 2' O clock in the morning. The crew was good, and we reached KL in no more than three and half hours of flight. There is a time difference of two and half hours between the two countries, so it was 8 O' clock in the morning there! While the plane was landing, I saw from some height, very clearly marked pieces of land, lying on the ground, just like floor tiles. I thought: Is this country really well organized, or seem so from a distance. Later, my suspicion was removed, as I found the country very well maintained and organized.  

The Kuala Lumpur International Airport is among the top 5-6 airports of the world. It is very big, and extremely beautiful. It is perfectly neat and clean and a nice display of automation. The airport has big markets and a large number of duty-free shops. There are frequent trams running from one part of the port to the other. The cosmopolitan people were of varied nationality. I felt very good to find me there! I saw some Indians too. A group of blue-collar workers had arrived from some flight. Later, while going through the local newspapers I came to know that there is scarcity of blue-collar workers in Malaysia, and workers from some other poor nations fill the gap. A Mercedes was waiting for us at the airport.  

The highway we were cruising on was of four lanes on both sides, and the traffic was in discipline. The limousine reached the speed of 140 Kmph. By the side of the roads, there were palm trees everywhere. I thought of them as coconut trees. Everywhere either palm trees, or beautiful grass made the scene very beautiful. Throughout the drive, I was totally amazed to see, how man and nature both have joined hands to make the place like heaven. I am very impressed with the infrastructure of the place. Quoting: "The city's bustling streets, its shining, modern office towers, and its cosmopolitan air, project an unbounded spirit of progress and symbolize Malaysia's unhesitating leap into the future."  

Our accommodation was arranged at Hyatt Regency, Saujana, which was 40 minutes away from the airport. The luxurious hotel consisted of three Golf courses and several swimming pools. The participants of the Kuala Lumpur F-1 racing (March 2005) were staying at the same hotel! 

The people speak Malays as well as English. We had no problem while communicating. But the real handicap was the pronunciation. The Malaysian people used to speak in an accent that was not easy to comprehend for me. I remember, once we said "pardon" two times to a waitress, only to realize that she was saying "Thank you" to us! People were smart and fashionably dressed. There are three main people groups in Malaysia: Malays, Indians and Chinese. Many Chinese are Buddhist; Indians are Hindus or Muslims and Malays are officially Muslim. I saw most of the Malay women wearing scarf. Today ten percent of Malaysia is of Indian origin. Their culture, with has exquisite Hindu temples, cuisine, and colorful garments - is visible throughout the land. Most of the people of Indian origin we interacted with, in Malaysia, were of 3rd or 4th generation residents of the country. They don't know much about India, but are interested to be more aware of the present India.  

The training was in the daytime, and almost every evening, we went to all the beautiful places of the Kuala Lumpur city. The KL Tower is one of the highest communication towers in the world. We dined at the roof-top 'revolving' restaurant. It keeps on revolving, and with the walls of glass, we get 360 degree views of the city from that height.  

The Petronas Twin Towers, with a height of 1,453 feet, one of the world's tallest buildings has great shopping malls on lower floors, and we dined at the McDonald's restaurant. There are big shopping malls everywhere, though having come from India, I didn't find the prices luring. One Malaysian Ringgit (RM) is equivalent to 12 Indian Rupees. And most of the articles were 2-3 times costlier than "Made in India" products, of the same brand and company. I bought several gift items for my loved ones at home, and at last I had to buy one more luggage bag, in order to accommodate all the shopping.  

The Central Market is a center for the display of Malaysian culture, arts and crafts. We enjoyed playing Bowling one evening, and another evening we visited one sea food restaurant. We also dined at the former residence of Malaysian Prime Minister, which is now open for public bookings. The Chinese market and Times Square were also the places of visit. There are some South Indian markets as well, where all "Made in India" products were being sold. I noticed the price of one Britannia Milk Bikis of Rs 7/- in India, was priced MR 1.5 (Rs 18/-) there. Here we enjoyed the (South) Indian food like Dosa, and 'Roti Chanai' was my favorite there.  

One warning for Indians: At several places they cook Chicken/Lamb/Beef on the same stove, and using the same utensils. And even the fast food like burgers may contain beef without mentioning on wrappers. So take care, and ask before taking. Also, there are prayer rooms (surau) in many public places. Don't enter one, thinking it is the rest-room!  

We returned back by the same Malaysian Airlines flight. But the facilities provided were much better in KL-Kolkata flight, than the Kolkata-KL flight. I don’t know why.  

I made at least four Malaysian friends - Sasheen, Haris, Dhynna and Faizah are still in touch with me by emails. All the 18 participants are very well connected through Lotus notes email IDs, and frequently share our experiences. I returned back with loads of sweet memories... memories of the lifetime...

- Rahul

[Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal. This article is written as travelogue from that point of view.]

I visited my Alma Mater

Several times we talk of helping our juniors; of keeping them involved in the right things; or of showing them the right track. I think it is one of our duties as seniors. As we are proud of our juniors at some point of the time or the other, it is important for us to help them whenever we can. And the best way to help them is to “inspire” them. Seeing is believing. And “inspiring” is the best “teaching”.

I don’t claim to have achieved 100% by what I did a few days back, but I made sure that I did my best.

NIT Durgapur chapter of ISTE (Indian Society for Technical Education), organized its 11th AISEC (All India Students’ Engineering Congress) on Jan 21-22, 2006. I delivered an ‘invited lecture’ there. The topic was “Changing face of Cement Industry”. It dealt with how once upon a time cement industry was considered a pollution creating industry, and now a days it is looked upon as a waste consuming industry (alternative raw materials, alternative fuels, additives). I met a number of young engineering students from across India. I was impressed by their presentations in the Technical Paper Presentation sessions. Two young guys from VIT-Vellore had developed an e-OPD s/w, which prescribes medicines once symptoms are entered on a computer program. The s/w has got a training phase, where it actually learns how to make a decision. They have created a website and are planning to put the s/w there for free, for medical students to study and help them update it! Several other papers were very good, and I went through them being in the panel of judges.

In between and after the sessions I interacted with students and helped them with their concerns. A lot of them were in confusion over joining “IT” or “Core tech” companies. They were as enthusiastic as we were in our college times.

And most importantly, I visited ‘my’ Alma Mater after 20 months. I passed though the same pavements and lived in the same hall-4. Visual looks have changed for a better. If you have not been there since long, learn from me that the mess and bathrooms are completely renovated; something we thought will never happen. The college has got a grant of 21 crores from World Bank, and a lot of things are benefiting. I met the child who used to sell ‘parathas’ in our hostels, the ‘dada’ who sells ‘misties’, the shop keepers in ‘techno stores’, and our loving ‘nadu da’ who served us with ‘roties’ in ‘jhups’. Of course I met some of our professors, who have not changed even a little in these years.

I suggest, go visit your alma mater once. Then you will know how good it feels.

- Rahul