Social Networking and Company Policies

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Infosycions_stop_backbiting_about_the_firm_in_social_networks_or_face_dire_consequence-nid-69674.html?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Subscriber

The above link will tell you a story like:

Infosys is likely to introduce a new social media work policy effective next month to curb the leak of confidential company data on open forums like Facebook and Twitter. This will bar employees from venting their ire on colleagues and seniors on a public forum.

 

The Electronic Identity

Though it says the company is "likely" to introduce a new social media policy to control (or to be precise stop) its employees from discussing (divulging) company affairs into social networks, one easily loses his nerves upon hearing/reading such news. It's not a surprise for those who work in companies which already have such regulations. There have been some incidents (off course I do not have a valid evidence to give here) of issuing warnings to employees for discussing/posting some company affair/information on social networking communities. But for those who have been enjoying unquestioned speak outs it is not less than a shock. Even those, who do not work in this company, will not be able to stop themselves restraining from the thoughts that even their company might resort to such situations.

And why it should not happen? We are used to social networking and the candid environment we have in the web, a space where anyone can, not only post his thoughts but actually himself!. In other words we started "living" in these social networks, pouring in our complete personalities and our souls, gradually forming an electronic identity of ourselves. This was easy enough to happen because people get their space here, any time without being called to do so, and they get heard or read and get responses from people who are quite alike, and that too from a wide and obviously intelligent and intuitive audience, which contribute to the topic of discussion in a constructive and objective manner, to conclude something really concrete and fruitful. This helped many people have a productive insight into themselves, to evolve into better and better personalities. Before social networking and blogging, very few blessed people used to do it, and now almost everyone (who use internet) has this "electronic identity" on the www and those who are getting used to internet recently are more keen to have a orkut/twitter/facebook profile before they even have an email id! We have started judging people by his blog or by orkut profile, by number of friends and fans he has and the way he responds to discussion topics, without having seen the person! (On a rudimentary note, many also find it more "secure", because you won't get hit by someone for what you are writing! I pray in Her Lotus Feet that may our parliament and assembly sessions be run on blogs and social networks J )

So no doubt, we have our electronic identity on these social networks already.

Company Policies

I am not going to write something condemning on the decision of Infosys. For two reasons, one because I don't go the same way as many do and second is that many have already done that. (visit the link above to witness the same and how this discussion has evolved into a "war of words" between current and past employees!)

We all know that companies are always conservative about "information". Though practically conservation of the information within the boundaries of the company is next to impossible, we all sign a "non disclosure" agreement on the day of joining. After this we always go through an induction program, where in we are told the same old policy of "Information Conservation", we are taught how to classify information and how to conserve it accordingly and more importantly how to destroy the information which is not relevant. With the advent of social networking, a slide is also induced in this presentation to let us know that we should not divulge any "confidential information" of the company in the social networks or blogs.

As I said we need to classify the information before we treat it. Each company has its own way of classifying the information depending upon the type of information it processes. One highly important type of information is Confidential Information, something which can lead to a detrimental effect on the business of the company, if leaked to public. Upon this simple definition one can easily give examples to Confidential Information, like technical know-how, business strategies, market research information and everything that is used to run the company's business. It is off course the duty of every employee to protect such information. On rudimentary note here, having defined what is "Confidential Information", some employees who have a control over others tend to diverge this definition unofficially, to include some information which should be confidential for their own good (detrimental to them, if leaked to employees).

Employees are therefore educated enough to not disclose any such confidential information on social networking. (They are smart enough to do it in their next company and again not in www) Of all my browsing experience I have never came across anyone divulging any confidential information about his company. What they discuss is the way things happen in office, how they are treated, how the manager behaves with them, etc. even in technical discussions no one divulges any information which is regarded as confidential. And guys, this kind of information, leaks out any way to public, through employees any way! If a manager shouts at an employee or awards him with an appreciation, it will be known to people outside.

Then why are companies scared of this? How can they think of stealing the rights of an "electronic identity"?

Certainly it is nothing less than atrocity to do so. Before an employee we are individuals, and as individuals we are free to speak in public and on the web. When you can't stop people discussing company information in public, why stop them from being themselves on the web? Some even work on their laptops when they travel in public transport, attend telecom in public places and speaking on confidential information in a loud voice. Then why to create a policy to say shut up to employee's electronic identity? Just because you can find who did it?

Social Networking and Blogging

Having said that we are individuals before we are the employees, and we have the right to speak, we must never forget that a right always comes after a responsibility. Whatever we speak out on the web, we must do it responsibly, not because we must be accountable, but to achieve an objective which must be aimed at evolving ourselves and the society towards an ideal. Whatever we post, discuss, or reply must have something concrete which must give something concrete to anyone who reads your words on the web. While we are responsible enough to not disclose the confidential data or information of our company, why should we lose our integrity when we discuss something else?

 

Dedicated to Her Feet,

Gopal B Athani,

17^th July 2010

 

Vande Mataram!

By this time there must have been numbers of blogs written on the fatwa issued by one Islamic organization in India, expressing the anger, disagreement, discontent over the fatwa. This is certainly not an effort to be one among them. This is also not just another attempt to condemn the Islamic community for their different views. Being a devotee of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo, I have learned by this time that I should not separate any section of Life, be it a stone or a person, or a community. This is rather a humble effort by me to present the Spirit, the Mantra of Vande Mataram has embodied in it, as Sri Bankim Chandra received it from those higher spheres, and as Sri Aurobindo presented it to the whole world, in clear words which can even be understood by a common man, not just in those times of freedom struggle, even today.

When I was a kid, we used to start our day with the Vande Mataram broadcasted on the All India Radio. We never knew what Vande Mataram is that time. Still the way it influenced us was really great. Probably that's why it is a Mantra and not just another poem. Then my mothers used to teach us sing it for some occasions. We never realized the words we sung. But still the current of inspiration that was flowing could be felt. An experience beyond words. Truly Magical. Then with the time, when we got to know about it a little bit in our history classes, about the way British Rulers were scared for this, and the ban they imposed on it, and still people continuing to cry Vande Mataram, and getting arrested, tortured, even sacrificing their lives, we started realizing the terrible Divine Power these two rods embody slowly, but still not completely. Still it was a great poem for all of us, like the national anthem.

Only when I gew up, in my +12 days, when I came across a speech by Sri S. Ramanna, a pracharak of Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh, I got to learn the entire history behind the poem, and realized that the Vande MAtaram I knew so far was just a part of the poem, only first two verses of the complete Mantra. It was a pre recorded audio cassette in which Sri Ramanna narrated the whole saga of Vande Mataram, in his absolutely miraculous voice, that even now I can feel when I remember him. A great orator and a great devotee of Mother India, he was blessed by The Mother with the duty of spearheading the message of Vande Mataram, across the country.

Then when I heard Vande Mataram being played in the Play Ground in the Ashram, on 15^th August this year, it was an experience so concrete, and that's where I realized completely the wonderful power of Vande Mataram, as a song celestial and a song of adoration of not just the Mother India, but the adoration of the Divine Mother. When it comes to the India, and The Mother, to speak of one is to speak of the other, without having any slightest idea of this strange oneness.

How Vande Mataram Descended….The History…

Usually I never dig around such concrete experiences. I always try to live the same for a long time. But when I heard the news about this fatwa, I felt it is now necessary to relive the moment, and mine up as much information as possible on Vande Mataram and present the same to this wonderful media of internet blogging.

When Sri Bankim Chandra, visualized the Vande Mataram, and included it as a part of the novel Ananda Matha, it remained in the covers of the novel for some time. Only when Sri Aurobindo, along with his partenering frontiers of the freedom fight, realized the Power of the song, they unearthed it to the whole world.

Vande Mataram, the sacred mantra of patriotism, of which Rishi Bankim Chandra is the seer, brought under its spell many young men and women whom it converted into prophets of nationalism and fierce patriots who offered everything at the altar of the Mother.

"If Bankim was the seer of the national mantra, Sri Aurobindo was the God-appointed high-priest and prophet," says Sisir Kumar Mitra.

In the words of Sister Nivedita, "Aurobindo came out with a new interpretation of Bankim Chandra's song, 'Bande Mataram', which now leaped out of its comparative obscurity within the covers of a Bengali novel and in one sweep found itself on the lips of every Indian man, woman or child." His superb contribution is his masterly rendering of Vande Mataram into English verse.

http://www.ivarta.com/columns/OL_120102.htm

Following is the translation of Vande Mataram by Sri Aurobindo:

Mother, I bow to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Dark fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.

Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When the sword flesh out in the seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Though who savest, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foeman drove
Back from plain and Sea
And shook herself free.

Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nervs the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine
In our temples is but thine.

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her
swords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned,
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair

In thy soul, with jewelled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Lovilest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I bow to thee,
Mother great and free!

Then what happened is a history which stands out in the human evolution so far. Vande Mataram, becomes the breath of every Indian fighting for the freedom, not just for the freedom of oneself but of the whole nation, and this is not just a nation, a land habited by people, but the Spiritual Center of the universe, the Psychic being of the earth!

The Way Vande Mataram acts…

If you wonder why and how this could happen, you must experience the Vande Mataram in the Ashram play ground on a darshan day.

Especially when the song goes as:

Tumi vidyaa tumi dharma
tumi hR^idi tumi marma
tvaM hi praaNaaH shariire

Baahute tumi maa shakti
hR^idaye tumi maa bhakti
tomaara i pratimaa gaDi
mandire mandire

Not just you experience the sudden uproar of the flame of Aspiration in you and the self opening to The Mother; simultaneously you experience the answer from The Mother. Her presence grows everywhere around you, and most importantly within you, so concretely that you can no longer identify yourself separately from Her. For this state of elated Bliss, for sure no one will have any words to express. Because the song is not just another song. It is a Mantra received by Bankim Chandrafrom those higher realms like the Vedic Rishis, and given to us by Sri Aurobindo to call for Her Grace. This is one mantra, which gives you instant result, which is always simultaneous with your aspiration soaring up, as you sing it. This is the
only mantra which you can embody as you chant it, so easily, without any effort. When you are one with what you do, for sure the answer has to come, as She has promised.

This is where you also realize the lines from Savitri:

A prayer, a master act, a king idea

Can link man's strength to a transcendent Force.

• Savitri Book 1 Canto 2, Page 20.
  

The Mantra of Vande Mataram, instantly links us with the Supreme, and all the Might and Power of The Supreme are experienced and one is armed with the same.

Then who or what can stop you in this world?

Then miracle is made the common rule,

One mighty deed can change the course of things;

A lonely thought becomes omnipotent.

• Savitri Book 1 Canto 2, Page 20.
  

Is there any such song which has created this effect?

Not just then, but even now the Mantra is still a Mantra and the effect is concrete….

Popularity

BBC World Service conducted an international poll In 2003, to choose ten most famous songs of all time. Around 7000 songs were selected from all over the world. According to BBC, people from around the world voted Vande mataram was Second in top 10 songs^[20]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vande_Mataram

Here is the link if you wish to see the top 10 songs: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/us/features/topten/profiles/index.shtml#vande

Probably because many people around the world do not even know about Vande Mataram, it was voted as second.

The Key Issue….

Now…..one may ask me hey you forgot the key issue here….a section of the society has issued a ban on Vande Mataram….what do you have to say on this?

Well..(at least for me) it is not the key issue at all. For me key issue is why are getting agitated?

When muslims are showing fanaticism over Vande Mataram, which is certainly unnecessary, if we too copy them, then it is a "self" defeat. Not the defeat of the egoistic self of ours, but the larger "Self" of ours, The Mother, whom we adore with Vande Mataram. Always the Divine is opposed by the hostile forces. That is the very method of the hostile forces and the lower nature. As in Yoga the choice is ours, either be a captive of the hostile forces, or the free warrior of The Supreme, here too we must follow the same. After all, All Life is Yoga!

It is very natural that one who has known the Vande Mataram, and the inspiration it generated, and freedom it bestowed us, gets angry and agitated over this issue of fatwa. And it is even very natural that he spreads this message of anger and agitation throughout the community. So the result is more agitation and anger in the society, rather than the Force of Vande Mataram acting through people to bring in harmony and victory as it did and for which it is meant. It is again an act of hostility and lower nature, if we continue to spread the anger and agitation.

Instead, we must again link ourselves to The Supreme Divine Mother, through Vande Mataram, to Her Transcendent Force, be one with it, embody it, and spread it. If we speak of this wonderful power of Vande Mataram, and the way it acts to ten people around us, at least one among them will certainly follow it. And he would never fail to pass it on to ten people again, to have one more minimum effective spiritual warrior. Even this is a great victory for The Divine, within us. While such message spreads, even those who do not realize this Power, will join their hands. And certainly a time shall come, when those who are opposing it now, shall surrender themselves to it. Because, She has come to transform this world. And she will.

Therefore, I urge to stop spreading the anger and agitation and embody the Power of Vande Matarm. Be the instruments of The Divine Mother, and work for Her, instead of being in the captivity of hostile forces, and work for Her, through Vande Mataram.

Dedicated to Her Feet.

Gopal Athani

8^th November 2009

Are we getting addicted to dowry?

What I am going to narrate is another real incidence, which sounds very amusing, but certainly there is a great food for thought.

One of my best friends, Anand, called me up day before yesterday after a long time, to inform me that he had liked a girl, and even his family liked her, and everything would be settled down in a month, and marriage would be in December. He had come back from US for a holiday and this surprising development happened. This came as a great surprise for me because this guy never liked the company of girls and always used to tell us that he would never marry for any cost. There were many incidences in our college days when he ran away from some opportunities because he had work with girls! Like anchoring in a college function or some performance like a duet song.

First of all I could not believe his tone when he told me this. He sounded perfectly happy. So naturally I conveyed my heartily condolences to him, and wished all the very best time in the remaining time of freedom J.

Today I was waiting for his call, as he was supposed to call me to inform the dates of the engagement and marriage. But I did not get any call from him. I thought the guy might be having a long list of people to inform, and thought give him a call myself. When I did so, I was expecting the same happier and exited tone of a boy about to get married. But it was a diametrically opposite one. First he took some time in some other things. Then finally when I rounded him on this, he gave me shocking news. His proposal was rejected by the girl’s family.

Anand comes from a very rich and yet a very generous family. His parents are so well cultured, respected in the whole town. His father is a well known surgeon in Bijapur, and his mother a devoted house wife. They are totally against all the social evils like dowry. For his sisters they never gave any dowry nor were they going to get for Anand.

The very next day both families were sitting together for further discussion, to fix a date and all. As Anand said the meeting did not last for more than 20 mins. The first topic the girl’s family raised was dowry. Anand’s father, clearly denied dowry in any form. This for anyone of us is a reason to be happy and respect such a person. But surprisingly for the girl’s family, it was not. Anand said they suddenly started looking into each other’s face and fell silent completely for a while. And they asked for some time to discuss something within their family, and went out. After half an hour the mediator for this proposed marriage returned, without anyone from girl’s family. He told Anand and his family that they are not interested in this relation!

The reason…..they thought that if Anand and his family are not demanding any dowry, then there must be something wrong with Anand or his family!!!!

You would not believe, but it is the truth. I did not know whether to laugh at those stupid people or cry for Anand.

Have the social evils left another effect on our society, that we can not realize the truly human values of a person?

Or is it that social evils have become so common that if someone is denying them, opposing them, and is keen to be a living personality outside them, is perceived to be abnormal?


Or is it just a suspicion of the human mind that always perceives that if there is something good, it is veiling evil behind it? Why are we generalizing the same on everyone?

Now, with such an incidence, if Anad’s father changes his mind? And asks for dowry next time? Offcourse he wont do it. But such incidences do have a potential to change the little humanity we have in the society.

Probably here there is a need to run a campaign against dowry in a different way.

What do you think?

Quote for you specially!!!!!

I was checking out Next Future e-Magazine from Sri Aurobindo Society today, and after going through it, i just went to SAS Home Page to see if there is any new thing up for me.

http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in

There is a section "Online Help". Initially i thought ke it is somethign like if we post our queries, some experts will answer to us. Interested, i clicked the link, and following page opened for me:

http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/quotes.htm

What's here is........If you click on a button, a random quote from the complete works of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo is loaded, very similar to what any follower of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo does, when he or she is in a crisis situation. Just open any page of any book like Savitri, Synthesis of Yoga, or Life Divine, or any book, after praying in Them, and gets the solution for the problem! It has worked many times for me. That's how Their guidance works!

That's what the page states for you....

All of us find that often we are confronted with a problem or a situation where we do not know what to do. It has been the experience of many of us that, at such times, we took a book of Sri Aurobindo or the Mother, like Savitri, The Synthesis of Yoga, concentrated quietly and asked for guidance, help or an answer and opened the book at random. There we found exactly the answer we were seeking, as if it had been written just for us.

To provide a similar facility through the internet, we have here a large collection of quotations from Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. If we can do the same thing as with a book, with quiet concentration, with aspiration, with faith and then click the button below, we believe that just the right quote which contains the right answer for each one of us will come on the screen.

what i got for myself was.....

If you want to do something well, whatever it may be, any kind of work, the least thing, play a game, write a book, do painting or music or run a race, anything at all, if you want to do it well, you must become what you are doing and not remain a small person looking at himself doing it; for if one looks at oneself acting, one is... one is still in complicity with the ego. If, in oneself, one succeeds in becoming what one does, it is a great progress. In the least little details, one must learn this. Take a very amusing instance: you want to fill a bottle from another bottle; you concentrate (you may try it as a discipline, as a gymnastic); well, as long as you are the bottle to be filled, the bottle from which one pours, and the movement of pouring, as long as you are only this, all goes well. But if unfortunately you think at a given moment: "Ah! It is getting on well, I am managing well", the next minute it spills over! It is the same for everything, for everything. That is why work is a good means of discipline, for if you want to do the work properly, you must become the work instead of being someone who works, otherwise you will never do it well. If you remain "someone who works" and, besides, if your thoughts go vagabonding, then you may be sure that if you are handling fragile things they will break, if you are cooking, you will burn something, or if you are playing a game, you will miss all the balls! It is here, in this, that work is a great discipline. For if truly you want to do it well, this is the only way of doing it.

- The Mother [CWMCE, 4:363-64]

It may take a min to load, but when it does....... it's for you!!!

I am beginning as a mobile photographer......

1. Private busses in my area will teach you anotomy while you travel!!!!!

2. Is this really a women special bus?

3. How long do they have to wait for the bus?

4. What is so funny here?.... if Gundya(my best friend in pic) does not know that i took this pic while he was drowsy in a bus and now get to see it here.......

Perfection - explained by Sri Aurobindo, so perfectly!

On the day when we assembled our first complete vehicle at ANZ, and fired the engine for the first time, we all were elated. First vehicle assembled, taking hours of time, and consuming many days of hard work before that, and when we fired the engine, it sounded like the best music in the world!!! However, this is was something like an early rejoices for us. We were minutes behind the biggest problem we ever faced here, and something which is still not resolved completely.

When engine was running stably, I shifted the transmission to High position, and turned the 4 wheel drive (4 WD) ON. By turning this 4 WD on, the power is transmitted to front axle also, and this helps the vehicle to move on rough roads, mud, and loose soil, easily. The moment I did, a heavy metallic f\grinding noise started coming from the front side of the vehicle. This opened another engineering life cycle for us.

Later it was our duty to find out the root cause for the same noise and eliminate it. I was one among the team working it, and there many ideas and analysis coming in from different people, apart from my own analysis. I was trying everything, but this was something like a rock!

With number of trials, inspection, analysis, we found many root causes for this., and the way in which we had eliminate this noise was peculiar. Depending upon the noise pattern, we used to identify the root cause, and we treated it. Something like symptomatic treatment, our doctors experiment on us!!

Every time, there was such problem, we all uased to work on it, and used to conclude like this is OK, or good or better or perfect. And whenever we concluded it as perfect or ok, later after sometime, the same problem used to re-surface.

This left me in a thought that what actually is perfect? Or perfection? Anything we achieved or achieve as an improvement, never lasts longer, or is eternal. Then what is it? what actually is perfection?

I found the answer in Savitri:

To seize the absolute in shapes that pass,
To fix the eternal's touch in time-made things,
This is the law of all perfection here.

- Book 2 Canto 2 Page 108.

That’s how The Master explains everything. One shot and there you are! No more doubts.

Physical Disability V/S Social Disability

Last month when I was in the need of man power to start the operations of state of the art vehicle test line. I started looking for right guys. In my area it is very difficult to get right guys for vehicle testing. For vehicle testing, that too in an OEM manufacturing unit, guys have to have their senses open. More than that they should have the consciousness at every moment. It becomes a nightmare to select such guys from the lot you get over here. first of all you wont get guys to evaluate, and when you have someone, you will end up rejecting him.

End of Assembly Line Testing at ANZ International.

Like this to recruit 7 guys and train them to perfection, it took me one whole month. After 20 days these guys were so much confident that they used to run the line and certify the vehicles entirely on their own, without any supervision of mine. Finally I was so happy that I threw a party to them all.

Last week, the production target got doubled. I was forced to run my line in two shifts. So again I was in the need of man power. But the expectation was to run the line in two shifts, within two days, with entirely new man power in second shift!!!! You would guess it is impossible. Even I did initially. I thought that if I recruit seven more guys, and split the existing batch, and leave one fresher with one experience in every station in a shift, I would achieve the target. Again I went on a spree of recruiting technicians. By Her Grace, I got few more good guys.

One among them was Arun Kumar. He is dumb and deaf. How I happened to get him is a nice story. One my technicians approached me and told me that his brother, is vacant and has good experience as a mechanic. I immediately told him to get him to factory next day. Then he said, sir he is dumb and deaf. But he can understand everything in gestures, and can even operate a computer. Something which was highly essential in this line. But I was worried. Because as I have said testing technicians should have their senses open always. I worried for some time that I took an early decision by calling him. but there was something in me which was stopping me from saying no for this guy and I could not say no. At this time I resolved to keep quite and wait till the guy comes to factory and then think about it.

The very next day in morning, I got to see Arun. Tall and good looking, and a charming smile on his face. When santosh introduced me to him, he joined his hands to say namaskar to me. I patted his back and told santohs to make him sit in visitors room till I get some works done, and then will take his interview!!!!!

By now you must be thinking that I am mad. How can one ever interview a person who is dumb and deaf? It never flashed to me, till I entered the visitors room to call him for an interview!!!!

Then something flashed in my mind. I gestured him to come along with me to the testing line. Took him to the first station of line, where we set the brakes and align the wheels. These are highly critical operations. I called off support technician from the station and the lead technician was Santosh himself, Arun’s brother. Gestured Arun to start working with Santosh. Then what happened was beyond my imagination.

I was thinking Santosh will give instructions to Arun, on how to proceed. But I was totally wrong. Arun mixed up the operations so well, without any gestural instructions from anybody, on the very first time that, I was astounded. Completely new machines to work with, he must have never seen such machines in any workshops in this locality. But he started as if he has been doing since ages. I know you would not believe it, but it is the truth. When I, the eyewitness of this incidence could not believe it, there is no wonder if you wont believe. But truth is always the truth and prevails.

I could not resist getting him into my line. Though I had laid out requirement that my technicians should have their senses open, I immediately signed off his application, allocated a salary of five thousand, and sent him to labor contractor for registration. After two hours he joined back and started with us. I allotted him the work of brake bleeding and wheel alignment, which does not require the use of ear and mouth. Because of rest of operations do need them. But he was superb in that slot. Very soon he was a roll model for everyone. Workers from other department come and see how he works.

Arun Kumar at work.

Is this the happy ending story? Hold on. The real sap of this story begins now!!!!

In last few months, communist unions propped up in our organizations. Workers went on strike for some silly reasons twice or thrice, long back in march and april. ANZ suffered a lot due to these strikes. After this Management appointed one PRO. Mr. Suresh Kumar. A KAS appeared person, but ended up here. he has the powers to approve the appointments of all the workers.

I being a technical person, working all the time on test tracks, fields, and shop floor, was not aware of this new power or authority given to this idiot (mind you he looks like a real gentleman. In fact all idiots do). Furthermore, while I recruited Arun, this guy was on a long leave for a week.

Today he is back. He was getting pending things cleared. And the application of Arun Kumar appeared on his table for approval. People tell me that he went suddenly red and started shouting that get this idiot gopal to me right now. When I got a call from HR, I was a little surprised, that why PRO is calling me? Why would he call me? A little surprised I went to his chamber.

Then it was a usual PRO – client conversation. I was asked questions like who gave you the powers to appoint a dumb and deaf person in a sensitive work. Who gave you the authority to fix his salary? Etc.

I justified myself that he is fit to work, even though he is disabled. Told PRO to come and see how he works. But all my justifications were like a quote in kannada – washing tamarind in a river!! Well. If I am not authorized to recruit the man power, then who else is in my department? And why was I asked to set the job profiles and responsibilities for the technicians in this line? PRO never had answers to these questions. Like a pakka bureaucrat, he directed me to discontinue Arun’s services.

This happened an hour back. Shift is about to end in a couple of hours. What should I do? Still thinking. But not getting anything.

This leaves us with few more questions, which must be answered, not only by our PRO, but also by every member of our society.

Is it right if a person’s disability is put to decide his present, his fate, his life, or his future?

If the disabled is good enough to carry out some work, in fact better than anyone else, why can’t we let them do it?

If we are aspiring for a happy “society” tomorrow, where people like Arun can’t be left out, is it the physical disability of Arun or social disability of our PRO which is the obstruction?

Why a person’s trust and belief are not respected?

Why the laws and regulations of the company if a disabled person is getting a better life?

Are they supposed to rot as disabled throughout the life, upon the mercy of the society?

When shall we realize that:

This bodily appearance is not all;
The form deceives, the person is a mask;
Hid deep in man celestial powers can dwell.

I know there are disabled people who have been successful, and have been given opportunities, encouragement. I respect them all. But is the entire society moving in the same direction? It is only and only when each and everyone in the society, accepts the disabled whole heartedly, that the dream of a happy and united India can materialize into reality.

To be honest, I also feel, whether i overlooked the safety of Arun, to be a good person in his heart? Was I very keen to recruit him, and show myself up that i am among those who care for such people? because i always feel that if i was really intending to do something good to Arun, i would have been successful to retain him.

As usually, confused, and ......leaving everything at Her Feet, because:

Whatever the appearance we must bear,

Whatever our strong ills and present fate,

When nothing we can see but drift and bale,

A mighty Guidance leads us still through all....