Lets explore the world of writing...

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-11-03T10:42:00.001+05:30

I hate people who like to backbite about someone

2011-11-01T12:22:00.002+05:30

Recently, a friend of mine (whose name I do not wish to disclose it here) disclosed me a secret that really shocked me. My friend told me that someone has been spreading few rumors about me in the company where the friend works. Co-incidentally, both of them belong to the same organization and unfortunately the person who is spreading the rumors is working in the recruitment department. It really made me feel that why and how can anyone do such a thing. Why can't I do such a thing to any individual? I cant even think of doing such a thing to anyone whether he is my friend or not. I cant play with someone's career and it is against my principles as well. More shocking was that I haven't been in close touch with the person who has been spreading those rumors.

And its not only me for whom he has been spreading those rumors but he has been doing it for other people as well who he doesn't know well.

This maybe the reason why he is spreading those rumors as he wants his close people only to enter the organization or he might want to earn some extra money via Employee Benefits. But, just to earn money, can anyone go to such an extent. This is unbelievable!! And, to tell you more, the prospective company have even gone ahead and blocked my resume because of this, which means that I cannot apply in that company anymore. This doesn't mean I will not get a job anywhere because of this or it will effect in my current role. No. But, it just makes us feel insecure that you would also want to have good terms with your peers, seniors, and even subordinates as you may never know who will do what or whats playing in their minds.

It really shocking it is, and till now I feel tremor down to my feet when I think about it. But, at this point of time, I just want to say one thing, "Oh Lord, Forgive that person as he doesn't know what he has done or he may be doing."

2011-07-08T10:14:00.000+05:30

How to become a technical writer - Best Career Advice

2010-05-27T09:26:00.002+05:30

I will turn 33 tomorrow!

Today, I just realized that tomorrow I will turn 33 years of age. I have spent 33 years of my life so far. Its been a long journey since my birth and yet I feel that there's lot more to do. When I look back throughout my life that I have lived so far, I feel that I have done nothing that would make me proud of myself. In the next 7 years or so, I will step into the world of 40s, and I have to give myself 7 more years to achieve whatever I want to. 33 years, I still cant believe that I have grown to 33 years old. Today, I am working at IBM and have a salary to earn my livelihood, a loving wife whom I look forward to when I go home, a mother who is always there to care for me and give her best wishes, a lovely family who always pamper me with their live and affection, few good friends who are there to cheer me up when I am sad and enjoy with me when I am happy, and last but not the least, a father's soul who is always there for me to guide me. But, is that enough? Is this what God have sent you in this earth for? God always have some purpose for everyone, and that is the reason why he sends us to this earth. People tend to forget what they have come to this earth for. Some realize it sooner and some realize it later. The sooner, the better! But, its always good if u have this realization because it gives you a motive to live in this world otherwise life goes on and on...without having any motive.

Now is the time when I need to think that what I would do in my next seven years so that howsoever many years I will live, I shall live in a satisfaction that I did something, and one day when I will leave this world then I will go with a smile otherwise I will always have a guilt feeling within me that I didn't do anything in my life.

"Life is meaningless only if we allow it to be. Each of us has the power to give life meaning, to make our time and our bodies and our words into instruments of love and hope", quotes Tom Head

This is an interesting quote and its quite true as well. We have the power within ourselves to live a meaningful life but its only "WE"who have to realize it. Its only we who can allow to live either a meaningless or a meaningful life.

Today is Budh Poornima, and Buddha have once quoted, "Live every act fully, as if it were your last."

Some people would say that life sucks and would go any way just to end the life and some would believe that life is beautiful and full of surprises. I would say that life is whatever you think of it..and everything you think of it...Life is about sadness and happiness; it is about pain and being miserable, and life is about loss. Life is also about smiling, and crying at the same time. Life is about love and being lived, and life is about laughter. Life is about learning from your mistakes and it is horrible and dumb. Life is awesome and it is also full of tears sometime. Life is sorrow and it is also anxiety...Life is all about you and how you treat it..You criticize it...well, you're actually criticizing yourself..

In the end, I would put one of beautiful poems I found by John Clare on "What Is Life?"

And what is Life? An hour-glass on the run,
A mist retreating from the morning sun,
A busy, bustling, still-repeated dream.
Its length? A minute's pause, a moment's thought.
And Happiness? A bubble on the stream,
That in the act of seizing shrinks to nought.

And what is Hope? The puffing gale of morn,
That of its charms divests the dewy lawn,
And robs each flow'ret of its gem—and dies;
A cobweb, hiding disappointment's thorn,
Which stings more keenly through the thin disguise.

And what is Death? Is still the cause unfound?
That dark mysterious name of horrid sound?
A long and lingering sleep the weary crave.
And Peace? Where can its happiness abound?
Nowhere at all, save heaven and the grave.

Then what is Life? When stripped of its disguise,
A thing to be desired it cannot be;
Since everything that meets our foolish eyes
Gives proof sufficient of its vanity.
'Tis but a trial all must undergo,
To teach unthankful mortals how to prize
That happiness vain man's denied to know,
Until he's called to claim it in the skies.

"Miles to go before I sleep......"

2010-05-20T16:48:00.003+05:30

“Happiness”
What is happiness? So many times, I have noticed that people are not happy with their lives or their jobs. Forget about people, I myself sometimes feel unhappy about certain things in life. I just feel that why I am here in this world doing what I am not supposed to do. But, we just forget to understand one thing that we haven’t come in this world on our own. It is the God who has sent us and he must have a purpose in mind to achieve something in life. Some people realize it early while some of them take time to realize their potential and the rest of them don’t even realize their real purpose of life. And then, these people who are unable to realize their real purpose, they start being unhappy throughout their lives, and create a world within themselves thinking that nothing can be done of them.

Someone rightly said, “Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.”

So often, we just tend to remember our past and worry too much about the future. What this results is that we remain unhappy throughout the day.

Happiness has been defined by several people in different fashions but it means the same so as to stay happy. Helen Keller says, “True happiness is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose”.

As Bette Davis quotes, “You will never be happier than you expect. To change your happiness, change your expectation”.

Sometimes we say that if I buy a car tomorrow, I will be happy or if I go to Seychelles on a holiday, I will be happy. All these are just object of enjoyment that will just give u comfort but doesn’t give u happiness. Few people might not agree with this as they consider sensual pleasures as happiness and their attempts are also directed towards these. However, true happiness doesn’t lie in such objects of enjoyment; instead, it lies in imagination. The only source of happiness – and unhappiness – comes from inside yourself. Happiness is not something that comes to you instead, It is something you create now, TODAY!

Waiting for something to change in order to be happy is waiting to live your life. It is not what happens to you that count. It is how you react to what happens to you. It is your attitude. When you adopt a positive attitude, life becomes a rewarding adventure instead of something to get through.

Leo Tolstoy once quoted as, “If you want to be happy, be.”

2010-02-03T20:38:00.003+05:30

"All izz Well!"

Some dialogues can be so thoughtful and inspiring. And, one such dialogue, "All izz Well" is from the Aamir Khan's latest movie, "3-idiots". And, the manner in which Aamir Khan speaks this dialogue is so refreshing. It fills whole lot of energy among you and gives you a sense of relaxation. The technique to do this is also very simple: "Just place your hand on your heart and speak 'All izz Well' three times and then you can see the difference yourself. It will give you a sense of relexation and your mind will eaze out. It works more when you are feeling utterly low. So, the next time you are feeling low, try uttering those three words and you will feel good.

All I can say is that All may not be well in your life but still saying those words will let you feel that "All is Well".
Enjoy life!

2010-02-02T16:18:00.005+05:30

Love @ first Sight!

Interestingly! it reads. Isn't it?

You must have heard it everywhere, in movies etc.

Someone asked me this question today, "Anuj, do you believe in love @ first sight?" And, I thought over a minute and just wondered whether all is true or not..Is there anything called "Love @ first sight". Love is a wonderful feeling which you arises as and when you start to understand each other. So, how can you start to love them at the very first thing you see them. It can be just that you like them or there can be a gut feeling that arises among yourselves that says, "Yes, this is the one whom you have been waiting for!" But you cant call it love @ first sight.

LOVE is something which develops slowly and only after you have understood your partner well. Psychologists believe that love at first sight depends on our psychological state at the moment. In some cases we won’t even notice those charming eyes in another they can make a lasting impression on as. It might take just 30 seconds to fall in love with someone or it may take several years even to understand the feelings.

There have been theories about people falling in love not from the sight but from the smell. Scientist claim that people pay much attention to what their eyes and ears tell us but on the subconscious level the way the person smells play a very big part in their expression although they don’t recognize it.

Though scientists have studied our brain activity and have said that it is quiet possible to love @ first sight. But, whatever it is..dont just stop to love each other because this is the season of love and if love is in the air, then just believe in it and make your emotions fly on the wings of joy. LOVE is a beautiful emotion that promises to make your world a merry go round. So, just rise with the sunshine and open your arms to your beloved in the season of love.

Wish you Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-01-22T10:48:00.004+05:30

Its all about business, not politics!

Why this hue and cry over non-selection of Pakistani cricketers in the IPL-3? Why the Pakistani fans and administration is make such a big issue about it?

Its not politics but its business. Its all about money, honey!

When the IPL franchisees saw that it wont be profitable to buy Pakistani cricketers their franchisee teams, they didn't hesitate to say that they wont buy them at all. After all, their money is at stake. Though, its quite unfortunate because the Pakistani cricketers quite capable enough. And, with the likes of Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Tanvir, the IPL - 3 would have been a season to watch out for. They have already proved themselves in the IPL-1 where they performed quite well.

But, they have got what the Pakistan just deserves out of all the things they have done in the valley. But, on all of this, its cricket who has been a loser and it just goes to say that "Money Rules more than anything else"!

2009-09-25T15:33:00.001+05:30

How does relationship blooms between married couples?

Well, it seems to be an interesting topic for most of couples, and especially, when both the partners are working. And, when I am talking about relationship between a man and woman, it could be anything but now I am just talking about one thing and i.e. Marriage. Marriage, as is defined by Wikipedia.com, “is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic.” It is very important to build a relationship after marriage, and allow it to grow as time progresses. Well, the basis of most of relationships, post-marriage consists of three crucial things. These include: “Trust”, “Respect”, and “Love”. We all know this as we all have most of the books before tying the knot but we often tend to forget these basics after we marry someone. It is very important to keep reminding ourselves of these basics from time to time because this builds upon the relationship. It is also very important to have a constant interaction with each other. This helps in knowing each other the better, and thus helps build a strong relationship. Another important thing is to never take your partner for granted. There might be situations when we might think of our partners as a permanent fixture. In addition, watch out for the tone you use while communicating with your partner. You might be stressed out and tired from work or your boss might have spoken in a harsh manner or your team has really messed up with the work. So, it’s quite natural as a human being to take out your stress. But, your partner is not aware if your stress. Instead, it is always recommend to keep a calm mind and speak about your stress with your partner. Remember, your partner can be your best friend only if you make the best effort. Also, it is very important to have thoughtfulness among your partners. It is very important that you continue to make surprises by sending cards or buying flowers for your partner or doing things that your partner likes as you have been doing it while you dated or within few months of marriage. There can be small surprises but these can help you have a great relationship with your partner. It is also very important to understand the feelings of each other to have the relationship going. Also, critical is to be supportive towards your partner i.e. to support in any case even if your partner is wrong have committed a mistake. We all are human beings, and we are bound to make mistakes. As it said, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.”

Marriage is something that is never tangible. Any difference among the partners can weaken the relationship among each other, and may have serious aftermaths. So, in the end, I would like to remind you of the three crucial things once again that I spoke earlier:

TRUST your partner

RESPECT your partner's feelings

LOVE thy your partner (and this doesn't really mean to have a sexual relationship.)

2009-09-01T15:48:00.003+05:30

Education system is improving..

Recently, Indian government approved the grading system for CBSE schools, which was really nice to know. It shows that finally the government has decided to improve the education system. This may be the first step towards the improvement, though but still it really provides us an opportunity to applaud the efforts of the government. Now, atleast, the students do not have too much of competition in their minds. The Government is trying to follow the US Education system by bringing in the grading system into place. This will generate a sense of involvement among the child as the children will now have to be upbeat throughout the year as they will be assessed accordingly. There is still a lot that needs to be done to improve upon the education system, which has been followed by an age-old philosophy. Times are changing and so should the education system also. It will require deep thinking and thorough planning. Someone needs to start somewhere. Like, there should also be a concept of "Tutor" or "Help Required" introduced if a child fails make adequate yearly progress. It is generally a trend that teachers may pay attention to a group of students who are consistently doing well in order to maintain the reputation of the school. This should not be the case as all the children have an equal amount of knowledge. Each of them is well-equipped with their own abilities. The concept of Tutor should be made mandatory by the Indian Government so that no student is left behind.

Still, I feel that its a good start for a new beginning into the education system in India. The road ahead is tough and has a lot of barriers. There are vast opportunities in this world, and the students should be made equipped to face the tough challenges.

2009-08-24T11:13:00.003+05:30

Last night, I was listening to a wonderful Hindi song called "Woh Kaagaz ki kashti" sung by Jagjeet Singh. It really touched my heart as the words brought back my childhood memories, and got myself to shed tears as well and as the song progressed, the memories got even stronger. I felt how wonderful was the childhood, free from any worries and tensions. Today, while we are working 24X5 to earn a livelihood for ourselves and our family, we have forgotten the meaning the life. We have forgotten what life is all about. We are so much engrossed in work that we just don't find time to play around and have fun. By fun, we just tend to plan a vacation on a weekend but then we again come back on Monday for work and get tied up so much in work that we forget we have a family who wants our time and not money. Agreed, Money plays an important part in today's world and that too in times of recession as they said earlier that we don't earn to live rather we live to earn. So, don't make it a reverse i.e. don't earn to live...

Here are the lyrics from the wonderful song:

ye daulat bhii le lo, ye shoharat bhii le lo
bhale chhiin lo mujhase merii javaanii
magar mujhako lautaa do bachapan kaa saavan
vo kaagaz kii kashtii, vo baarish kaa paanii

muhalle kii sabase nishaanii puraanii
vo budhiyaa jise bachche kahate the naanii
vo naanii kii baaton mein pariyon kaa deraa
vo chahare kii jhuriryon mein sadiyon kaa pheraa
bhulaae nahiin bhuul sakataa hai koi
vo chhotii sii raaten vo lambii kahaanii

kadii dhuup mein apane ghar se nikalanaa
vo chidiyaa vo bulabul vo titalii pakadanaa
vo gudiyaa kii shaadii mein ladanaa jhagadanaa
vo jhuulon se giranaa vo gir ke sambhalanaa
vo piital ke chhallon ke pyaare se tohafe
vo tuutii hui chuudiyon kii nishaanii

kabhii ret ke unche tiilon pe jaanaa
gharaunde banaanaa banaake mitaanaa
vo maasuum chahat kii tasviir apanii
vo kvaabon khilaunon kii jaagiir apanii
na duniyaa kaa gam thaa na rishton ke bandhan
badii khuubasuurat thii vo zindagaanii

2009-08-11T13:48:00.003+05:30

Travelogue - Trip to Nainital
It was 7 AM in the morning when we set off from Rampur to our journey to Nainital. We had hired a taxi for this purpose. Though, there are several mode of transport available to travel to Nainital but I preferred a Taxi against other cheapest options. For more information on the mode of transport, just click here. Well, we took the route of Rampur - Bilaspur - Rudrapur - Haldwani - Kathgodam - Nainital, and we stopped at Haldwani for a small break. Then, we continued our journey to Nainital, and we found some mist and clouds en-route to the hills of Nainital.

At 11: 00 AM, we entered into Nainital, and had a glimpse of Naini lake which looked exceptionally good. The people over here are very friendly, and we didn’t find tough to get ourselves a hotel. Since, we hadn’t done an Advance booking, so we decided to explore on our own. There are a lot of hotel options available in the Mall road just facing the lake. You can choose from a list of hotels from 2-star to 3-star such as Hotel Alka, Hotel Everlyn, Hotel Prashant, Hotel Classic – the mall, etc. We explored a lot because we were looking for room that will give us a view of the lake. So we decided to go for Hotel Prashant. The hotel was good and so was its staff as it was pretty friendly. In fact, they provided us with the Cab facility to pick and drop to the mall road. Though, later I realized that it was a bit high priced as I would have got much better hotel with the same price. But, otherwise, the hotel was not a bad option if you are looking to stay for a night or so. We checked into the hotel at 12:45 PM, and changed our clothes to get ready for sight seeing. We decided to go for sight seeing, and have our lunch on the way itself. They are plenty of options available for you to do the sight seeing. In fact, if you are going on a off season, then you do not need to worry on finding a tourist guide. Instead, they will find you at once, and it’s easier to bargain in an off-season. You can get a package of 7 points at a price of Rs 350-400 or even less if you know how to bargain. So, we started our sight-seeing at 2 PM (we had fixed a time from the tourist guide earlier to come at 2 PM itself.) and we began from the Eco Cave Gardens, are natural caves which have been slightly modified to allow for convenient human inspection. In total there are six caves, named after various birds and animals found in the Corbett National Park, which is a part of the Nainital district - for example, one of the caves is named Tiger Cave. It was our bad luck that the caves were closed due to rains. We moved on towards Waterfalls where clicked some snaps of ours and we also had our lunch over there. There are two eating joints over there. But, I suggest you to get yourself something from the Mall road itself as the food in those eating joints is not good at all. Or, it is preferable to have Maggi over there if you are fond of it. Though, they do provide a lot of options from Indian to Chinese to South-Indian but the taste is not that good. Next, we moved towards Lake View point to have a glimpse of the Khurpatal lake. Even here, we had our share of bad luck as the mist came in between, and it wasn’t easy to look at the lake. So, we decided to click some snaps, and move towards the other points, “Suicide point” and “Lover’s Point”. Upon reaching over there, I realized that they are nothing but a waste of money as it was just a huge rock and nothing else. Following is a list of places that will usually come in the package:

Eco Caves: This is a cave garden, which is a latest entrant into the many attractions of Nainital. You can make your visit to Nainital a memorable one with a trip to these gardens wherein you can introduce your child to an eco-friendly life.

Suicide point
Lover’s Point
Waterfalls
Lake View point
Land's End: (2,1l8 m) 4.08 kms. One can have magnificent view of Khurpatal and the terraced fields on the hill side. Normally, you would require a horse to travel to this destination.
Lariakanta : (2, 481 m) 6 kms. This is the second highest peak of Nainital and commands a glorious view of the lake region. Normally, you would require a horse to travel to this destination.
Dorothy Seat: (2,292 m) (4 km). This is a memorial to an English lady believed to have been killed in an air crash stands here. The spot commands a partial view of the town and the nearby region. Normally, you would require a horse to travel to this destination.

There are other places as well that you would like to visit such as:

Hanuman Garhi: (1, 951 m) 3 km. A popular place for worship in the temple of lord Hanuman and its Sun-set view.
Khurpatal: (1,635 m) 5 to 10 kms. This is an angler’s paradise on Nainital-Kaladhungi-Ramnagar Road. It is here that the conifers belt merges and gives way to the Sal trees. Fishing permits are available from Deputy Commissioner, Nainital.
Kilbury: (2,194 m) 10 kms. A wooded spot, ideal for a quiet and peaceful holidays, which is connected by road.
Naini Peak: (2,611 m) (Cheena Peak) 6 kms. Most favoured picnic spot of the town. One can view the distant plains and snow clad Himalayas from the peak. A bird's eye view of the lake is also obtainable from here. One can either trek or go on a horse back upto Naina Peak.
Naini Lake: The boat club overlooking the lake offers sailing facilities and also boating. Fishing is allowed with the permission of Executive Officer, Municipal Board, Nainital.
Snow-View: (2270 m). 3 km. This is the nearest easily accessible peak on Sher-ka-Danda hill connected by Ropeway. A powerful telescope is fixed here which enables one to view the Himalayan ranges.
State Observatory: (1951 m). 4.4 kms. Devoted to astronomical studies and optical tracking of artificial and earth satellites.

2009-07-02T13:56:00.002+05:30

Many times, I use to think why do people fall in LOVE? What makes them LOVE their counterparts? What is it, actually? Is it a "feeling" or a "characteristic". LOVE as quoted from the dictionary, states that: "Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful". Well, the different dictionaries will give you number of other definitions of this simple yet complex word LOVE. Now, you must be wondering why I am calling it complex. Its complex because it is not easy to understand other's feeling and until and unless you feel from inside, you cant just fall in love like that. LOVE itself can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and so on ranging from generic pleasure to intense one. For instance, it might be that you might love eating a certain dish or you might be in love with your wife or girlfriend. But, once you get married, does it mean that the feeling of LOVE dries down a bit? And, the answer to this is, No. Once you feel that the feeling of LOVE in you is drying, you got to energize yourself. LOVE, after marriage means "Sharing" by sharing, I mean willing to open your and share each other's feelings i.e. pain, joy, success and failure. Love itself means being honest and sharing and losing ones inhibitions and knowing that the person on the other side will never be judgmental. Secondly, LOVE also means to talk. Well, now you must think if I am sharing, Am I not talking. I guess you are right and you get full marks for this. Sharing me ans talking and thats these two hold the key for LOVE as its all about speaking, talking ans sharing your thoughts and feeling with your partner. I have seen may married couple, once they marriage gets older, their conversation gets restricted to credit card bills, monthly allowances, and housekeeping, and so on. This shouldn't happen at all. There should be continuous interaction between you and your partner to keep yourself motivated and energized. Also, thirdly, LOVE is all about spending time with each other. In this times when we are so busy with our own hectic schedules, this might not happen lot of time. But, believe me, just a few minutes spent with your counterpart is extremely critical for an everlasting relationship. Believe me, it means a lot when you spend time together with your partner. It means a lot and especially when one of the partner is not working, this becomes extremely critical. Next, Love means loving one unconditionally without any reason and cherishing each and every moment spent with each other. It means being true to each other, and it also means giving your everything to your partner. Besides this, LOVE also means being friends with each other. Well, this comes before even you start loving your counterpart. It is said that if you cant be friendly to your partner, then the chances are that you might not be in love. So, friendship is "the" starting point for LOVE. Apart from this, LOVE means to look into the same dorection as your partner. Now, this might amuse you as many would disagree with me because its generally said that all people are not same. But, when you are in LOVE, you think in the same direction as your partner. You share the same goals and take the steps in that direction to make them come true.

As George Elliot rightly quoted,

"What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined... to strengthen each other... to be at one with each other in silent unspeakable memories".

2009-05-04T16:18:00.002+05:30

Life after marriage...

Its been just a couple of weeks since I have got married but it already seems that it has been a long time since I have got married. Life after marriage seems to be a lot different than before. Its beautiful and at the same time seems ugly sometimes. Life seems to have taken a U-turn post marriage, and you are not willing to take risks once you get married, even if you want to. You seem to be a lot responsible than you were in your bachelor days. Before marriage, your focus is centralised more on yourself but post marriage your focus shifts to your spouse and your family, and especially if you are living in a joint family. You seem to be understanding enough about the needs and desires of your spouse. I have had an advantage because I got pretty decent amount of time (around 6 months) of courtship where I got to understand about the likes and dislikes of my partner. So, if someone gets a long time before marriage, one should make full use of it to understand each and every thing about his/her partner. It is very essential for both man and woman to understand each other post marriage, and make conscious effort to make the marriage a wonderful experience.

2009-03-24T09:39:00.003+05:30

Mystery of Life...

Today, a strange thing happened while I was waiting to board my bus on my way home to Faridabad. I saw an old man, not so much old though, just had a grayed hair and wore pretty decent clothes so should have been from reputed background. He was distributing few pamphlets to all of us that mentioned the "The Mystery of Life..". Strange it sounded but quite true as it mentioned that a man is nothing but a God's purpose sent on this earth. God has created man for a definite purpose. Many few people realize this, and those who do so, we call them as messiah or messengers of God. Its a fact that all of us have a God inside us, and its only about believing in ourselves that we can believe in God. We tend to get so much busy with our own problems that we seldom have belief on our own selves. Its so easy to solve the mystery of life only if we want to understand it and believe on ourselves.

2009-02-25T10:51:00.002+05:30

STOP! Is your team de-motivated?

Are your team members demotivated? Most of the manager’s job has been to motivate and inspire the team when they are de-motivated. But why do people get de-motivated in an organization?

I have read a lot of articles on management that deals with how to motivate employees but it is not how you motivate them; rather, it’s how you prevent them from getting demotivated. It has been proved in a research that an employee gets demotivated after their first six months only, and the motivation continues to decline thereafter. This research is based on the survey conducted with about 1.2 million employees at 52 primarily Fortune 1000 companies from 2001 through 2004. This decline in motivation or demotivation may be due to the poor management style adopted by the manager. In addition, it’s not only the manager who is solely responsible for demotivation of employees. There are other factors as well such as organization policies and management actions that contribute in demotivating the employees.

So it’s not about how you as a manager need to motivate the employees, but it’s rather how you stop demotivating them. It is very important for an employer to understand the following factors:

Are you engaging your employees in some of the organizational initiatives?,

Are you treating them fairly? and

Are they able to communicate comprehensively and openly?

If your answer is “No” to even one of the above questions, then your employees are demotivated, and this may lead to serious problems. So before we identify the tips on how to prevent demotivation among the employees; let us first identify the causes of demotivation, which include as follows:

Most organizations dictate the employees on how to accomplish a particular task without telling them the need for doing that task. They feel that the employees are incompetent of making decisions. This may lead to demotivation among the employees.
Sometimes, criticizing one employee before their team members may also encourage demotivation.
Some managers set deadlines that seem to be impossible to be achieved thus demotivating the employees.
When a manager asks a team member for his/her input but immediately dismisses it, which results in demotivation among the employees.
Some managers give preferential treatment to a group of employees who are usually close to him/her. This sense of inequality among the team also leads to demotivation among the employees.
It is generally said that, “Employees are an assets.” However if an organization tends to override the statement, and in order to reduce costs, reduces the costs on employees; then this may also result in demotivation among the employees. They may feel that the “Employees are labor costs, and not the assets.”
Trust is most important factor, and if an organization feels that the employees are not trustworthy then this may also lead to demotiovation among the employees.
Sometimes, when a manager uses phrases that are not complete such as Just do it or Failure is not an option, and so on, the team members have a negative feeling among themselves. They feel that manager themselves doesn’t know what needs to be done, and thus it results in demotivation.

So, as a manager what you should do to instill confidence among your team members and how should you help them avoid getting demotivated. Let us understand this using the following tips:

Provide recognition to your team members
Communicate well with your team
Ensure proper coaching for employees
Be a good listener
Encourage teamwork
Provide feedback in case of non-performance

Let us elaborate on each of these tips a little more.

Provide recognition to your team members

To help eradicate demotivation among the employees, it is very important for you as a manager to provide recognition among them. Ensure that all of the members of your team are recognized of their efforts no matter small of large. This gives them a sense of satisfaction and makes them realize that their efforts have been fruitful. It has been proved by the experts that receiving recognition for achievements is one of the most fundamental needs of a human being. It is always good to say thanks to the team members on accomplishing the job rather than criticizing them before the team. This helps in removing any distress levels among the team members. As a manager, you need to understand that any sort of appreciation whether through a word of mouth or in the form of an email will be a morale booster for the employee and help them to eradicate demotivation. Some manager may ask themselves, “Why shall I appreciate for the good work that the employees have done for which they have been paid to do.” But, you must understand one thing that there is no harm in recognizing the efforts of the employees.

Communicate well with your team

Communication is the most important skill for managers to eradicate demotivation. While communicating, you need to ensure that you distribute the information which is important for the employees to know. The employees feel frustrated upon lack of appropriate information.

Communicating well requires managers to be attuned to what employees want and need to know.

Ensure proper coaching for employees

Every employee or a team member needs coaching in order to improve their overall performance and do well in the organization. Even Sachin Tendulkar, who is considered as the best batsmen in the world, hasn’t been so if there was no coaching from Ramakant Achrekar. Most managers often tend to neglect proper coaching for the employees. However, a proper coaching makes employees feel that organization care for them and as a result allow them to do even better thus improving performance.

Be a good listener

Listening is an important quality that a manager must have. But, it is different from being “just a listener” and being a “good listener”. As a manager, you need to listen to not only the problems of the team members but also try to gather information on how they can do the job in a much better way. This makes the employees or team members feel involved, and prevent demotivation. While managers inviting ideas from the employees, the employees believe a sense of involvement in their work and they tend to love their work even more than before.

Encourage teamwork

In an organization, it is the team that matters the most rather than the individuals themselves. So, it is very important for a manager to team members to work in teams more often in order to accomplish a task rather than working in its own. This gives the employees gives themselves a boost in confidence. A manager needs to create an environment to promote teamwork by organizing self-managed teams and creating an opportunity to cross-train each other and using techniques such as brainstorming.

Provide feedback in case of non-performance

Feedback is an essential component that a manager can use in order to avoid demotivation among the team members. The employees who have an average level of performance need to be informed in order to improve. A manager must ensure to provide a feedback on a periodical basis. It must be remembered that there is a difference between a performance feedback and annual appraisal. The employees have the every right to know whether they are doing well or not. So, it’s up to the manager to provide feedback from time to time rather than waiting for the annual appraisal. The annual appraisal is meant for summarizing how the whole year has went by for the employee. It is the manager’s responsibility to create a healthy team environment.

So, to prevent the occurrence of demotivation among the employees, it is essential to keep them motivated. It is the employees who make the organization, and it has been proved that motivated employees are crucial for organization success. Employees just don’t work for money. In fact, they work for more than just money. The important thing to note here is to make provide an environment in which they feel that their job is secure and thus allow them to love their jobs.

Thus, as a manager, if you follow the above mentioned tips, you are surely able to support your employees' goals for achievement, impartiality, and camaraderie. This enables you to retain the enthusiasm among the employees when they joined the organization.

STOP! Is your team de-motivated? is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at akapoor.blogspot.com.

2009-01-15T15:48:00.003+05:30

Its Chilly!

Its cold out here in Delhi. After a long summer season, we delhities wait for this winter season to come at large and welcome it whole heartedly. I love the winter season because at least we don't have to sweat it out. Winters are cool, no need of switching ACs on, and no need of fans either. But, everything has its disadvantages and advantages. While the advantage I have already told you, the disadvantage is that you don't like to come out of the mattress. But, in this chilly winter season, I can see some people sweating it out, trying hard to earn a penny. Those people are cycle rickshaw pullers, rag pickers, flower vendors, and those who live on the footpath. They too feel the chill in this season but still they cant help it. They have to work it out, and do their job otherwise they wont survive. So, when I think of them, I realize, at least I am better of them because I have got a better education from my parents. I pray to god and thank my parents to have given me such good education, and that they have given me a roof over my head in this chilly season. So many people are there who curse everyone (and everyone including God) to have created too much of hot weather or cold but fail to realize that at least they have some protection. So, next time, when you curse GOD about the weather, think of someone who doesn't have any protection and you wont feel any hot or cold either. You wont even feel the wetness when it rains heavily.

Think about it!

2009-01-07T15:48:00.003+05:30

Comma: Has it been underrated?

"The older I grow, the less important the comma becomes. Let the reader catch his own breath.” -- Elizabeth Clarkson Zwart

Hello everyone, I am the Mr. Comma, which you use while writing any document such as magazines, journals, user manuals, and so on. I have been used differently by various authors, and not only this, different cultures use me in an entirely different fashion. That’s the irony of a poor little me that I have been used in various number of ways in so may people’s writings. Sometimes, I wonder that where did I originate from, and who was my godfather?

How did comma originate?

I am the most commonly used punctuation mark used by several writers around the globe, and I have a similar shape of my fellow-mate ‘apostrophe’ and ‘single closing quotation mark’. As per Oxford English dictionary, I came from a Greek word called komma (κόμμα), which means something that is cut off or a short clause. However, my origination can be dated back to 3^rd century BC when Aristophanes of Byzantium invented a system of single dots also called distinctiones that separated verses and indicated the amount of breath needed to complete each fragment of text when reading aloud. As I mentioned earlier and want to repeat it again that I can be used to solve various purposes while writing any form of document. I can be used in separating the list items or I can be used to separate the clauses. For example, generally, in English language people use me to separate a dependent clause with the independent clause if the dependent clause comes first. In addition to this, I may also be used while enclosing the parenthetical words and phrases within a sentence. Let us take an example to illustrate this. A simple example to this will be, Once upon a time, there existed a Shalom dynasty.

I may also be used while separating the different adjectives within a sentence or to separate parts of geographical references, such as city and state or city and country. Thus, I can be used in numerous ways and the sky is the limit. Yet, I am used differently in different cultures. Let us understand few such differences in the following section in the widely used English such as American as well British English.

Differences between American and British usage

Comma, though seems a simple punctuation mark, but is used differently in both the American as British English. For instance, comma is placed inside the quotes when using American English while it is placed outside the quotes in the British English.

Last but not the least

Finally, I am the most wisely-used character, and I can be found in all the bestsellers of well-known authors. But, still, I am not known to everyone.

References

2009-01-01T09:32:00.002+05:30

And, finally, 2009 is here...

Its celebration time because 2009 is here, and its the first morning of the new year. I wont indulge much now but just wish all the readers of this blog a happy and prosperous new year, and wish this new year brings a lot of freshness and happiness in your life!

2009-01-01T06:54:00.000+05:30

6.5 hrs to go...

Another 6.4 hours to go for the sun to set down last time on this year..another 6.5 hours to go for the new rays to enlighten the earth that would bring peace and prosperity the lives of each one of us.

Lets all stand together with holding hands, and pray for solidarity, and wish we live in peace and healthy environment.

Amein!

2009-01-01T02:09:00.000+05:30

Its time to create resolutions!

31^st Dec is here to stay today, and it is today that there will be talk of creating resolutions for the year 2009. Though, there are very few people who follow their own resolutions that they have created. I, myself, do not really believe in creating one that needs to be fulfilled for the entire year. It is believed that “New Year” is perhaps a good time to create a resolution. A resolution is basically a commitment that people usually make mostly to themselves (or to others as well sometimes) towards the coming year. A commitment can be related to a habit or a lifestyle change or it could be related to the family like you make a resolution to spend more time with your family. But, the question arises, do we really follow the resolutions that we create for our own benefit. Recent research of resolution conducted on several participants has shown that nearly 52% believed that they do not really need to create resolutions. Ands, that’s a quite high percentage. I also do not really believe creating any resolutions for the entire year; instead, I believe in creating the resolutions for each day. Take each day as if it was a new year. This will rejuvenate you and bring fresh energy within yourselves. Some people do have a habit of creating resolutions because it gives them a direction to lead the coming year. Some of the most common ones of the resolutions are losing weight, paying your debts, having a healthy diet plan, investing a good amount of money for the future, and spending enough amount of time with your loved ones. If you really want to make resolutions, then it is always advisable to make those which you can follow easily, i.e. always make “realistic” resolutions for the coming year, and don’t “expect” too much from yourself.

So, have you made a resolution for the year 2009?

2009-01-01T01:43:00.000+05:30

Approximately, 14 hours to go…

So, finally 31^st December is here to stay. Few hours from now, and we will bid farewell to the year 2008 and welcome the New Year i.e. 2009 with excitement. Few hours from now, and we will all hope that tomorrow when the sun rises on a New Year, it will bring prosperity and peace. It will be approximately 14 hours from now or even less as I publish this content on my blog.

2008-12-30T16:18:00.001+05:30

And the countdown begins...

And the countdown for the year 2008 to end begins from now. If someone asks me to do a recap of 2008 as to how it has been, I would simple describe it in just one word, “Terrible”. And, many people would fairly believe with me that this year has been the worst of all. With so many things happened this year from bomb blasts that have taken place in most of cities in India to the latest terror strikes that happened in Mumbai on 26/11. Also, not to forget, the economic slowdown, which has brought the economy to where it all started. But, one should not lose hope because it’s a part of the game in life. After all, we do not have good times every time as we do have bad times as they were this year. 2008 has done one good thing, and i.e. it has brought all the people of India to stay united against the terror. All these lighting of candles at the India Gate and Gateway of India may seem rubbish but it has made us all realize the power of a “citizen”. Up till now, we citizens were just not bothered or if we were then we were just waiting for few people to act against the terror. And, that is what 2008 has done a good thing. It has made us stand united, holding hands and ask the politicians as to when will they just stop thinking about themselves and start thinking really about the country. It is nothing wrong though to think about yourselves but if people have voted you with a confidence then it becomes an utmost duty of a politician to prove them all that what you are worth it. Otherwise, if people lose faith upon the politicians, then it doesn’t take long to have them throw out of the power. It just shows the power that a citizen has…

So, as the sun of the New Year is beginning to rise, and as 2008 is beginning to hands the baton to the New Year, “2009”, let’s hope that New Year bring peace and prosperity in our lives and other people lives as we.. Let us all make a pledge that whatever may happen but we must stand united, and we will not bend down upon any faction of the society. In addition, let us all make a resolution that we must help out each other in times of any calamity, and let us all spread the word “happiness” in not only ours but other people’s lives as well.

WISH you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-12-30T15:54:00.000+05:30

And the buzzwords are...

Like everyday, I got up early today at 5:45 AM. I opened the main gate of my house, and bent down to pick up the newspaper which the vendor had just thrown. As soon as, I turned to go back inside, I saw an old man stretching himself, getting ready to go for his daily chores. I wandered where he was up to in this early morning. Though, I had seen him quite often coming at the same time, passing by my house. But, to see anyone in this early morning and that too in a chilly winter was a suicidal attempt. But, then I realized that if someone has to earn his living then the person doesn’t need to see the weather. It has been so many times that I see many rickshaw pullers driving their customers while it was raining heavily. They were just not worried about themselves getting wet; instead their only worry at that time was to drop their customer to their respective location as quickly as possible, and that too maybe for a penny. That’s “Commitment” and “Dedication”. They are committed towards their customers, and dedicated towards their work. These words may sounds meaningless these days, and few people might even question me upon this. But, the real fact is that these words play an important part in our lives. Its not that we should only be committed and dedicated towards our work. Whatever we do, whether it is into learning a new thing such a musical instrument, spending time with our family members or spouse, or doing something for the national interest. All these things and much more require some sort of “commitment” and “dedication”.

Some people might even ask me that how it that how we stay is committed towards a task in hand or how can we stay committed while spending time with our family members. And, the answer is fairly simple, you just need to do few simple things which you know but you tend to forget.

So, stay committed and dedicated while new year rises....

2008-11-29T11:16:00.000+05:30

Let us light a candle!

Four days, extreme face of terror. It was really terrible, what happened in Mumbai for last four days, it was such a terrible thing that when we think also, it feels scary for us. Its time for us all to support, pay tribute to all those commandos who fought fiercely and bravely with the terrorists, and finally took the three building under their control. I do not live in Mumbai though but I do want to extend my hearteous support to the mumbaikars; I fill tears in eyes for those who laid their lives. It is needless to say that their presence cannot be filled in theor families, but lests try to understand that life moves on, and lets just move on with te our daily routine. Throughout these 60 hours, there hasnt been a single minute when I havent made myself aware of the situations (thanks to all the news channels for their quick coverage..for whatever reason they did whether it was for TRP or whatever but I dont want to take the onues from them also). So, let us salute to all the matyrs who laid their lives while fighting with the terrorists so that we can sleep peacefully. But, its high time that the Government of India act to the situation as it is getting worse than ever. Everytime, I get out of office, I just have a fear in mind that whether I wil l come back alive or not. There is a fear in my mind that what if today is another bomb blast or a terror attack like this. Now that the attack is finally over and Taj is under our control, its time for analysts to analyse the situation. But, lets not just say as to why this thing happened? Now is the time to understand as what needs to be done to avoid such things in future. The brave commandos have shown while fighting with the terrorists that we just cant let anyone capture our nation. They have proved to us that their are people to make us realize that we can live in our homes peacefully. People like Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and Hemant Karkare wil lalways be remembered in our hearts for their brave act, for they have shown that terrorists just go on like this. But, there has to be an end to all these terror activities. Someone must find a solution, and someone has to take that repsonsibiliy that, "Yes, we can." I reppeat those words of the USA preseident, Barack Obama that "Yes, we can....and we will fight this terrorism to its end." Lets not waste the lives of all those matyrs who have fought bravely with the terrorists to make our lives secure. My heart fills with tears, and I can very well understand how their family will be feeling at this moment as their place cannot be filled with anyone and it wont be either. It will be just matter of time that everyone will forget them as the human memory fades out wuite often but they will alwas remain in our hearts. So, while we remember them from our heart, lets light a candle and make a pledge that we will fight this terrorism to its end.

2008-11-25T10:08:00.000+05:30

Dasvidania

Last Sunday, I watched a Hindi movie called "Dasvidania" on my DVD. Its hero, Vinay Pathak, who also happened to be the Co-producer of the movie have done a wonderful job in the movie. It was well-written script, and left a message at the end. The movie started with Vinay making a "To-do list" of tasks he needs to do during the day, which we all do in our daily lives. So, this is so very similar to the reality, to which we all can co-relate. He makes a to-do list of all the tasks that he needs furing the day but forgets the tasks that he wanted to do in life, and one day comes when he is diagnosed with stomach cancer, and the doctor advises him that he wont stay beyond 3 months. He revisits his life, and tries to understands what had gone wrong in his entire course of life that had caused him this misery. He gets depressed, and turns to drinking in trying to realize the situation. It happens so many times that we create the To-do list of all the daily activities but in between all this, we tend forget the basic motto of life, and i.e. trying to be happy and enjoy the nature. We get engrossed so much in work that we even forget our own desires. There are so many things we desire to do like owning a farm house, going to beach or Seychelles, and so on. But, we get caught up so much in work that we cant find time to enjoy our life, and then a time comes when we have to go from this earth. It is then we realize but then it is too late. Like it happened with the hero of the film when the doctor gave him a notification of 3 months; it may not happen with everyone. Death comes all of a sudden, and we may not be able to do anything.

What will you do then?

Think about it?

Its time we realize that we all are guests on this earth, and we have to leave this earth one day, so until we are here, why not live every moment in joy and happiness, and share the same with our loved ones. Why not live each moment as if it was a last day on earth? Why not fulfill if not all, some of the desires that we want to?

2008-11-19T14:18:00.000+05:30

Mentoring Technical Writers!

In the recently concluded mentoring programme organized by STC India chapter, I was asked to rate the programme. Sometimes, we are put in such difficult situations where we have to do what we find the most difficult to do it. The programs like this really should happen once in a while because it not only benefits those who are in need but also those who are willing to spend their time for such unique cause. Apart from work, these activities also form an important part of an individual working in a corporate environment. In the recently published article "Maintaining Work-Life Balance) in the Indus newsletter (http://stc-india.org/indus/), I have clearly outlined the benefits of maintaining the Work-life balance and how essential it is for each one of us to spend as much time with our family as we do with our work. Continuing on the same topic, I believe that we can maintain a balance between work and personal life by being associated with the work itself, and that can be done by participating in such activities. It is all about to rejuvenate your energy levels. By mentoring another technical writer, we got to know our strengths and weaknesses as well. I feel proud that I have been a part of such a program, and would definitely like to participate in more such programs.

If anyone of you is willing to learn technical writing, do contact me at my email: anuj.anujkapoor@gmail.com.

2008-11-10T14:45:00.000+05:30

Good Gesture from Captain Cool!

Such a good gesture that you can only expect from the "Captain Cool": Mahindra Singh Dhoni to give over the reigns for the last 3-4 overs to "Dada" eyeing that this will be his last test. This is definitely called a true sportsman spirit, and paying tribute to the man under whom he had played once. Mahi is really a person to cherish with not only good cricketing skills but also having a good character. That's the reason why he is so successful because he does have a heart. Its not just about giving the reigns to Sourav Ganguly for one last time but its about the thought which made him do so such a thing. This gesture may not benefit him much but surely put him in the hearts of millions of fans of cricket, and it will open a new chapter in the history of Indian Cricket.

Salute to Mahi for this overwhelming gesture! And, salute to Dada for his overall contribution to Indian Cricket, which has been fabulous. Dada has been a gem of Indian Cricket, and I had always been a fan of his batting no matter what form he was in. Though, it felt sad when he announced his retirement but all said and done, everyone has its own time in Cricket, and with so many youngsters pouring in, its time now that he should step down and give a chance to them to come in. Dada should now play a more important role, that of a mentor in order to groom the "new Dada" of Indian Cricket - maybe from WB itself.

2008-11-03T14:11:00.000+05:30

I just got my article published on "Maintaining Work-Life Balance" in the following link:

http://stc-india.org/indus/

(Please note that it is under Cool Tips section.)

2008-10-21T15:06:00.000+05:30

Coffee Boy

I am used to going for coffee breaks during my office hours, and I go to the refreshment room more than often. Sometimes, I go all alone, and sometimes with my peers / colleagues. This time, I went to the refreshment room alone, and I noticed the coffee boy sitting over there. Though, he sits there everyday, as that is his duty of continuously sitting on same chair. However, that day I noticed him particularly because the room seemed to be empty compared to before. He looked at me, smiled, and said, “Hello, sir.”

I looked at him. He had a short height, and was wearing his uniform, which the Coffee Vendor might have given him as the dress had a label of Coffee Vendor. He also had a glow on his face which was different from other coffee boys.

I smiled at him, and replied with a warm hello. I asked his name, and he said his name was Ram Saran. Then, I asked, where was he from? To this, he replied, “I am from Bihar.”

Then, it all started the saga of conversation. We started our conversation with the victory of India over Australia. He said, “Cricket has become rather a boring these days due to its excessive coverage with due respects from IPL and ICL” At first, I was a little amazed with his state of awareness. But, after a moment, I also joined the discussion by replying to him, “Yes, the craze is now all gone with heat of IPL and ICLs. At this, he said, “BCCI should spend money in venturing in other sports as well such as Hockey, Athletics, and so on.”

He said, “Hockey is our national game, and its state is no less than a mere beggar on streets, and the players have to pay themselves to be in the hockey team.”

I was again amazed to see how aware he is on the current affairs. He went on to talk about how media uses the news item to earn money, and how did the media used Saurav’s retirement news and flashed it on the news channels for 2 respective days, asking the viewers to SMS their views on whether Saurav should retire at this state. He also said, “It’s the same media that were against Saurav Ganguly when he wasn’t amongst runs, and was demanding to announce his retirement.” I kept on listening to him patiently, and realized that how much aware is the common man today, and it’s not a question of interest because it has become a necessity for a common man to be aware about what’s happening around the world.

At last, he said something, which moved me really. He said, “Poor is becoming poorer, and rich is becoming richer.” And, this is an underlying fact, which the Government hasn’t realized or is blind-folded to this realization. With the current market getting downsized, it may not affect the Tata’s, Birla’s, and Ambani’s to a large extent but it will certainly affect the common man because they are not the richest people on earth. Instead, what they need is twice a meal in a day. That’s, what they are looking for. Of course, they want to live life king-size, but their first priority to feed their family. I wonder sometimes that the difference between the rich and poor will finish, and poverty will be really eradicated as our dear politicians promise every time there is an election.

2008-09-19T16:57:00.000+05:30

Reality Shows: What's the big deal!

First, it was the Saas-bahu saga with Ekta Kapoor been considered as the Soap Queen as her two shows rocked the whole nation, and now the "reality show" boom is rocking the whole nation in the television industry. Every other day a channel is born, and what you see first is a reality show whether it is for dance, music, or any other activity. You name it, and you have a reality show for that particular thing. So, now, people who have talent don't have to go knocking the doors of the concerned persons, and neither they have to deliberately leave their homes to the city of dreams called "Mumbai" for getting a break. They can do it easily by participating in such reality shows, though they still have to work very hard, of course. Without hard work, nothing is possible on this earth. You cant get everything served on your plate. But, media has really shown the doors to the people who deserve their every right to be in the limelight. But, easier said than done, are these reality shows really giving an opportunity to the people who deserve or this is just a gimmick and the real story of reality shows is entirely different. I wonder, some day Madhur Bandharkar will make a film on "Reality Shows" even as to what happens in the backdrop of reality shows and whats the real story all about, like he did in so many other movies such as Corporate, Page-3, and his latest to be released, "Fashion".

Whatever may be the case, if people are benefiting with these "Reality Shows", then I surely put my vote on it, even if an SMS worth 3 Rs and it earns a billion dollar for the organizers. So what, if the organizers and sponsors are earning a hell amount of money. They have every right to earn money as the saying goes, "Its All about Money, Honey".

But everything has a limit, and too many reality shows may spoil the entertainment saga. People tend to get bore easily, and they may not be interested in it any more. So, the channels and media will have to think of something else to replace the boom of reality show. But, till then, keep on enjoying the reality show bandwagon and watch the fights happening in the shows to have fun.

2008-09-16T19:46:00.000+05:30

Delhi ROCKS!

Last weekend, we witnessed yet another blasts hitting another metropolitan city, our very own "DELHI". All these blasts took place in the most happening places of Delhi viz-a-viz, Connaught Place, Greater Kailash-I, and Karol Bagh. Whovever did this horrifying act, had done his home-work well as the day being a "weekend" is filled with a lot of people coming over there for shopping and having fun. But, how do they know that the fun would be all lost in the sky. Those of whom, who stayed back home were lucky enough and those who went there were the unlucky ones. I have always heard from saints and my mom saying that life is in hands of the Almighty, "GOD" but I wander sometimes that is really life in God's hands or these people who perform such barbaric acts. I was listening in one of the news channels that one of the couples had come to Delhi for the first time, and had vowed to never come in their life again because what they suffered was really horrifying. Theor trip was made their last one due to this barbaric act. But, life moves on. Whatever, blasts may occur in Delhi, life still moves on at its own pace. The people who have performed such an act cant really disturb the mood of Delhi. Delhi still rocks and will continue to rock no matter how many bomb blasts may happen. The politicians have condemend it, media have criticized it, and a lot of people have suffered. But, with time, all will foget, and then people will come out again on streets to have fun and go for shopping. No terrorist can really put fear in our hearts and minds as long as we have faith in our GOD. Delhi is city where a millions of people from different culture and diversity have come to earn their livelihood, and have made it their home.

No one can burn the spirit of Delhities, and neither can such barbaric acts bring down our enery levels. We delhities will still say, "चलता है यार...ऐसे छोटे मोटे अच्सिदेंट्स तो होते ही रहते हैं तो इससे कोई जीना तो नहीं छोड़ देता॥"

2008-09-09T16:50:00.000+05:30

Shame on you!

Its such a shame that though we live in India, and say that India is a secular and a democratic country, but still we are divided based upon different castes. And, now there is different kind of divide bing created, and i.e. regional divide. For instance, a person born in Delhi goes to Maharashtra or Mumbai (which is considered as a land of dreams for millions of people) to earn his/her living. But, what he/she gets in turn is a regional divide, and is asked or rather forced to adopt the language of that particular region. India has a one of the largest democratic country in the whole world, and what name we are giving in front of the world. How safe is the common man when the well-known personalities like Jaya Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan are being attacked for being claiming themselves to be a part of the regions from where they have come. Can anyone forget a region from where they have come or have been born? For that matter, are we trying to prove everyone that India is not a democratic country but rather it is a non-secular country. There is a need for a consensus, and the media needs to react to the situation urgently before it gets too late. I just read an article in Yahoo.com, which mentions that "In southern states, the anti-Hindi campaign has been on for the last sixty years. There is a ban on Hindi films and Hindi news in Tamil Nadu (Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/20/20080909/1430/ten-sena-targets-king-khan.html)

I was shocked to see this news, and it is a known fact that most of the tamil movies are bing dubbed in hindi and vice-versa and the hindi ones are more popular. Not only this, even the tamil actors and actresses such as Kamal Hassan, Rajnikanth, Jaya Prada, and so on have been more successful in the Bollywood than they were in Tamil cinema. Then, why such a regional divide? More shocking in the article was that in Assam, people are killed who speak in hindi. Its high time we do something for this situation. This is a serious issue, and the media needs to take thew responsibility on their shoulders instead of giving us news if how a man reached the moon or how a cheetah killed a mouse or even when did Amitabh Bachchan went to temple.

We live in India no matter which region we belong to, and if we are a democratic country then make us feel that we area secular and democratic country.

2008-09-05T09:18:00.000+05:30

Such is his caliber...

He is a genius. Such is his caliber that whichever movie or even for that matter, an advertisement he does, becomes a "hit". Some people don't have do silly things and they still create history. While, some people continue to struggle throughout their life, and they keep on searching for that little break. He has such power within himself that he can turn the fans to follow him. He is the "Aamir Khan". Whether it is Aakash from 'Dil Chahta Hai' or Bhuvan from 'Lagaan' or a Art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh from his latest TZP. All of them have created history, and he has been able to voo the audience.

Yesterday, I was watching his advertisement for "Tata Sky" as he is their brand ambassador. I must say that he is simply the genius. Someone was telling me the other day that he charges around 14 crores for an advertisement. I said, "WOW". But, then I realized that with the power he has, this money that he charges is nothing. I havent seen him in doing any kind of shows like "Paachvi Paas se Tez Hai" or "Dus ka Dum" but still people like him; and they admire him.

I must say that if anyone is a Badshah of Indian Cinema, It has to be "Aamir Khan".

2008-09-01T14:54:00.000+05:30

Divide & Rule

So, here I am again with a yet another blog entry. Last month, there had been a quite a few so this month I will make a point to post as regular as possible.

Starting this month, we have some bad news and some good. Lets have some good news, and the good one is, that the Amarnath shrine board has agreed upon to compromise. Sometimes, I wonder when they had to compromise then it could have done some two months earlier, and it would have saved so much of bloodshed that have occurred since these months. Though, the Kashmir valley is not happy with this but its just the minor chuckles, and I believe congress have some shrewd politicians, and they will make them agree.

Now, for the bad news, the riots in Orissa seem to be in no control, and just for the wrong reason. And, now there are riots between Hindus and Christians. Sometimes, I wonder why our dear politicians feel so proud in having a religious divide among the people of India. It seems like they are following the "Divide & Rule" policy that the British used to do while they were here in India. The British though have gone but they have taught quite a few lessons to these politicians and this one is among them, Divide and Rule. You divide the people based upon the religions and rule upon them. But, today's man seem to be more aware of things, and have understood this underlying fact. They don't have any problem with any religion as far as they are getting the opportunities. This world has become a land of opportunities, though it had always been but people have realized this fact recently, and are trying to cope with it. So, be it a Hindi, a Muslim, a Christian, or a Sikh, all are mere individuals who come in this world as an individual to perform their duties, and then go back after they task is over, I mean to say after their retirement age comes ahead of them. Everything is planned for us, individuals. God has made a plan for each one of us, and have sent us according to that plan. There is no miss in any schedule, and all the deadlines are met accordingly.

So, how much we are divided and ruled upon, there is one Almighty who is ruling upon us, and who has sent us for a purpose and will call us when that purpose is finished.

2008-08-31T08:42:00.000+05:30

Have we lost our identity?

We get up in the morning, go to office, develop code for the software to be used by the millions of users, write content to be read by those million users. And, in this we take regular breaks, I mean meal or coffee breaks, and indulge in the office gossip. But, sometimes I feel that with all this are we losing our identity. India has seen so many eminent personaltities, and stalwarts with the likes of Ramanujan, Prof CV Raman, Chandrashekhar, Prof CS Seshadri, and so on. We have the great nobel laureate, CV Ramam producing the most innovative research hich we call it as "Raman Effect" and we have Ramanujan the stalwart in mathematics. Above all this, we also have the Aryabhatta, producing the well found research in area of mathematics whether it is giving volumes of sphere and pyramid or giving an approximation of pi. But the fact is that these people had existed, and still exists in our mind somewhere. However, these genuises seem to have been lost, as we have got ourselves involved in running after money so much. The growth of Information Technology has seen so many advancements with India entering the "IT superpower market". However, this advancement also has seen change in man's lives. He has become materialistic, and the run-in for money has got him into the race to earn more and more, and it will never end until we ourselves realize the potential of those geniouses. Its true that it is no harm to be materialistic but we need to ask ourselves that are we becoming too materialistic. Where the likes of Ramanujans and CV Ramans? Have we hidden them over the run-ins for money? Its a fact that it has been so many years since we produced a genious in mathematics and science. It seems that the field of science and mathematics has just stopped, and its time we rejuvenate ourselves to revive the field of science and mathematics. ITs high time we realize the potential of research in these fields and continue the works of Ramanujan, Aryabhatta, and CV Raman to bring a new name in Indian history.

2008-08-29T12:44:00.000+05:30

“What is in the name!”

Shakespeare said in one of his plays, “What’s in the name?” I wonder sometimes where this rule is applied as it is the “name” that matters the most. If you don’t have a name, then people do not recognize you. Imagine yourself not having a name such as Ram, Albert, or Iqbal then how will people call you.

Will they call you like, “Hey, you!” or “Hey! Come here you.”

Sounds silly isn’t it. How will it look like when everyone will be calling each other like this? Then, there will be no names and people will be calling by the pronouns. Sometimes, I feel that did Shakespeare think while making the statement, “What’s in the name?” And, the hilarious part is that after making that statement, everyone knew that it was made by Shakespeare himself. Imagine how will it feel when you do something good, and don’t leave a name in it. How will it feel to not be recognized after doing something good? After all, people do everything to make a mark of them. But, after giving a due thought on this statement, I realized it has a different meaning. What Shakespeare is trying to say here is that there are so many religions on this earth, and there are so many people of different diversities. All of them are no different. All of them are the same, just the difference lies in the color and caste. “What’s in the name” actually means that it’s not your name that is important but more important is, “You”, yourselves. Everyone wants to be recognized and it’s not bad. It is always good to have aspirations and goals because without that life becomes monotonous. However, more importantly, its important to identify to identify yourselves. Look within yourselves, and ask yourselves what is good and what is bad.

That’s the real meaning of this statement. Shakespeare though had been a thorough thinker, and it is him who could have given such a thoughtful statement.

2008-08-27T15:20:00.000+05:30

Why do people say "I am falling in LOVE"?

I have heard people saying in reality and in movies (both Hollywood and our very own Hindi movies) that, "I am falling in love". The term "Falling in Love" is generally derived from western countries, and it usually means the process of moving from a feeling of neutrality towards someone to one of love. The term "Fall" can imply to many things such as putting the lover in a state of vulnerability or that the process is irreversible. It also means that process of love may have been uncontrollable. However, its never bad to fall in love as pointed out by Albert Einstein. It has been theoretically proved by many psychologists that people generally fall in love when they want a change in their life or even start a new life altogether.

I want to quote few lines from a Wikipedia, which says "falling in love is a rapid process of destructuration-reorganization called the nascent state. In the nascent state, the individual becomes capable of merging with another person and creating a new collectivity with a very high degree of solidarity."

I remember a wonderful song sung by Elvis Presley, "I can’t help falling in love with you". Just read through the lyrics of the wonderful song and feel the difference it makes in your lives:

Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can’t help falling in love with you
Shall I stay
Would it be a sin?
If I can’t help falling in love with you
Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand
Take my whole life too
For I can't help
Falling in love with you
Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand
Take my whole life too
For I can?t help
Falling in love with you
For I can?t help
Falling in love with you

But, why people really fall in love is a mystery, and still is a mystery why some love grows and why some love fails. Love is like a sum of the interests and attractions and certain common traits that two people share. And just as life is a gift that comes and goes in its own time, so too, the coming of love must be taken as an abysmal gift that cannot be questioned.

To some people, this gift of love comes at a very early age so you must take hold of it and celebrate it in all inexpressible beauty. However, if it fails altogether, just don't stick to it. Just move on as you move on with life. Because, just life is a mystery, love is also a mystery that no human being has been able to solve on its own. It’s just the God's will that you cannot even pretend to change. When love fails, you look for answers and think about "What's really wrong in yourselves that made the other person not love you?" You tend to blame the circumstances that caused this situation and say that if they go far away and start a new life, their love will grow. Imagine that you fall in love with another person, and the other person also falls in love with you. Then, suddenly everything starts looking negative to you and other person decides to leave. So, in this situation, do not try to recoup it or to assess blame. Just, let it go. There is a reason and there is a meaning to everything in life. You will know in times to come as its not you who have written your future.

Remember that its not you who chooses Love but it’s the vice-versa. You can only accept it when it comes to your life. Feel the way it fills you to overflowing, then reach out and give it away. Give it back to the person who brought it alive in you. Give it to others who deem it poor in spirit, and give it to the world around you in any way you can. Also, remember that Love has its own time, season, and reason to come and go. You cant neither stop from coming into your life and nor stop from going from your life just as you cant stop people from dying. You can only embrace it when it comes to you but when it chooses to leave you then there is nothing you can do and there is nothing you should do either. However, you should feel luck and out of the blue moon that God has chosen you to be "fallen in love" out of the millions of people standing in the line still waiting to find a love of their life. In the end, I want to quote the following lines, "If you keep your heart open then it will definitely come again in your life." I want to quote few lines of a beautiful poem Falling in Love is Wonderful from Harry Kottler,

Falling in love is wonderful.
Falling in love is sublime.
Falling in love is wonderful.
I fall in love all the time.

Falling in love is wonderful.
I fall in love with all I meet.
Falling in love is wonderful.
I greet my beloved on every street.

Falling in love is wonderful.
It's not grave; it is floating on air.
Falling in love is wonderful.
I fall in love with both the ugly and the fair.

2008-08-26T22:08:00.000+05:30

"We are the World"
(One of the best songs of all times...I really love the lyrics. Its close to the heart, and is suited to current scenario.)

There comes a time
When we head a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on Pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of God's great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

Send them your heart
So they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread
So we all must lend a helping hand

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

When you're down and out
There seems no hope at all
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well, let us realize
That a change will only come
When we stand together as one

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

2008-08-25T12:52:00.000+05:30

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

(This is a beautiful poem which I found while googling for some motivational poems..its worth reading more than just once..)

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that passing there
Had worn them really about the same
, And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

2008-08-24T16:42:00.000+05:30

आज हुआ है जन्म गोपाल का.......

आज मेरे गोपाल का जनम हुआ है
धूम मची है आज मथुरा मे
हुआ है आज कोलाहल नन्द गाओ मे
क्योंकि आज आया है गोपियों का किशन
आज नाचेगी राधा मस्ती मे
क्योंकि आज आया है केतकी-नंदन यशोदा के आँगन मे
आज मेरे गोपाल का जनम हुआ है,
आज मेरे माखन चोर का जन्म हुआ है,
आज मुरली मनोहर, नीलकंठ, आया है
इस संसार को पाप से मुक्त कारने
जैसे उसने अर्जुन को गीता पाठ पदाया था
वैसे ही वो आया है हमें भी वो ही पाठ पदाने
की तू अपना कर्म कर और फल की चिंता ना कर
और धरम और अधर्म की इस लड़ाई मे,
जीत हमेशा होती है धर्म की
यह ही पाठ पदाने आज आया है नन्दलाल
हमारी इस छोटी सी बगिया मे
आज मेरे गोपाल का जनम हुआ है
आज मेरे माखन चोर का जन्म हुआ है

आज जन्माष्टमी के पावन अवसर पर
मैं येही दुआ करता हूँ की लड्डू गोपाल
हमारी ज़िन्दगी को भी कर दे रोशन

2008-08-24T16:29:00.000+05:30

मैं अपनी छत पे बैठा यह सोच रहा था
की यह दुनिया कहाँ जा रही है
गर मैं सोचता हूँ की यह दुनिया जा रही है
या हम कहीं और जा रहा हैं
फिर मुघे ख्याल आता है
की हम समय के आगे चल रहे हैं
दौड़ रहे हैं ज़िन्दगी की खींचा-तानी मे
मैं अपनी छत पे बैठा लोगों की भीड़ को देखता हूँ
और ख़याल आता है
की कहीं हम अपने काम मे इतने घूम तो नहीं हो गए
की अपने अस्तित्व को ही भूल गए हैं
मैं अपनी छत पे बैठा अपने आप को देखता हूँ
फ़िर अपनी घड़ी को टटोलते हुए
निकल पड़ता हूँ, उसी भीड़ मे,
जिसमे सब जा रहे हैं
तनहा
अपनी मंजिल की तलाश मे
उस मंजिल की ओउर जो कभी दिखाई नहीं देती
बस एक धुंदली सी शक्सियत नज़र आती है
मैं अपनी छत पे बैठा यह सोचता हूँ
की हम कहाँ जा रहे हैं !!

2008-08-24T14:33:00.000+05:30

आज इतवार है, आज अक और वीकएंड ख़तम हो गया। अब फ़िर से शुरू हो जायेगी काम की भागा-दौर, अब फ़िर से लोग भागेंगे ज़िन्दगी की सड़क मे, और फ़िर से होगी खींचा-तानी और एक दूसरे को नीचा दिखने के लिए लोग लग जायेंगे, जुट जायेंगे। आज वीकएंड ख़तम हुआ, और ख़तम हुआ आराम करने का।

2008-08-23T21:53:00.000+05:30

Hindu-Muslim bhai-bhai!
So, are you a hindu or a muslim? Because, if you are a muslim then you can't get admission into this society. I wonder whether we are really living in a so-called secular state. "SECULAR"! meaning, "not pertaining to or connected with religion". But, still, our politicians divide our country into separate religions in order to rule on ourselvs. I sometimes feel that whether were better off in British rule or not. Is this the nation for which the freedom fighters, such as Subhas Chandra Bose, Chandra Shekher Azaad, Rajguru, Sukhdev, etc..laid their lives.

Why is it that muslims are considered as "minority community"?

In the name of a secular nation, are we trying to present a wrong impression. What is the future we are preseting to the coming generation. The new generation is very intelligent, smart, and hardworking. GOD, had created human beings but its us humans who has divided among different religions, caste, sect, and creed, and even color. God has sent us all equally, and has given same kind of organs. Does any human being has a different kind of heart or liver, or anyone has "Hindu" mentioned in their heart, and others have "Muslims" mentioned in it. The answer is, "No". Then, who are we to divide ourselves into different religions.
Are we trying to prove that we are right, and God is wrong? India is one of the largest democratic country, and it is in this nation where people of dfferent communities live, whether it is hindus, muslims, sikhs, christians, and so on.
Today its Janmashtmi, and its today when Lord Krishna was born to kill his Devil uncle "Kans". I dont know whether it is true or not, but its just rather depends upon your realization and belief. And, if its true, then lets pledge to kill the demons of dividing ourselves into different religions, and make this a better to place to live in.
Wish you a happy Janmashtmi day to every "INDIAN" of any cast or creed.

2008-08-21T15:55:00.000+05:30

एक पल के लिए खुशी दी
फ़िर गम देके चली गई
वो सपनो मे आके मेरे
मुघे दीवाना बना के चली गई

वो मेरे इतने पास थी
फ़िर भी लगता था जैसे दूर है
अब मुघसे इतना दूर है
पर लगता है दिल के करीब है

यह दिल भी कितना अजीब है
जब कोई पास होता है
तो वो दिखाई नहीं देता
गर वो चला जाता है
तो पता चलता है उसकी अहमियत

2008-08-08T15:51:00.000+05:30

सपने

आह्खों में है धेह्रों सपने
उनको पूरा करने की चाहत
लेके चले है जिंदगी की रह में
पर नहीं संभालता दिल
जब टूट जाते है वो सपने
पर एक उम्मीद है इस दिल में
की कल सवेरा होगा
कल फ़िर से उजाला होगा
कल का सूरज एक नई किरण लेके आएगा
कल फ़िर से एक मैं एक और कदम चलूँगा

2008-08-08T15:42:00.000+05:30

कहाँ है तू

कहाँ है तू
इक धुन्दला सा चेहरा है तू
आँखों में सपने लिए
उसको पूरा करने का ख्वाब है तू
जब भी में आँखें बंद करता हूँ
बस तुघे ही अपने पास पाटा हूँ
पर नहीं दिखती तुम्हारी सूरत मुघे
इतने पास रहके भी क्यों इतनी दूर है तू
मेरे दिल के करीब रहके
क्यों जिंदगी का पास नहीं है तू

2008-07-21T11:47:00.000+05:30

“Early to bed and early to rise!”

This is an old saying, which our parents and grand parents say it to do every day. However, I wonder sometimes how many of us manage to go early every day to rise up early in the morning. In this age of Information Technology, when so many of us software professionals find ourselves busy whole day and night, it becomes really difficult to got to bed early, and with the tight deadlines and weekly calls from the US makes our life utterly miserable. Its not that we like it but it has made our bodies stiff, and thus increasing to lot of problems such as high blood pressure, blood sugar, etc. So, what do we do? Can we say “NO” to our dear client just because we have to go early to bed and rise-up early? What shall we do so that we remain fit? It’s a hard nut to crack because it is very difficult to say NO to the client, and more so when our project manager will not like more than the client itself. Then, the best thing to do is to manage our time judiciously. Its easier said than done as “managing the time is tougher task for most of us today.” But, this is also a reality that Time is only what we need to manage. It is only us who can decide how to manage our time. Just think about those tasks you do throughout the day and that are meaningless. If you think those tasks are taking your lot of time, cut down upon them. See if you can manage to convince your client to have the daily/weekly calls a little early so that will allow you to reach home early. Just think what difference it will make to your lives when you reach home early, and go to bed early. It will make your life a whole lot better. Once you rise early, make it a habit of going for a morning walk. You can start with a 30-minute morning walk or even a brisk walk. This will make you will feel fresh and energized throughout the day. It is said that if you walk daily in the morning, it stretches your mind and your soul. I want to quote the following lines from an article about walking, “It is dynamic mind & body process which creates a sense of rhythm. As you listen to your own silent rhythm, the pulse of life, your own heartbeat - you become whole, a complete man - fit in Mind, Body and Soul.” Source: http://www.healthnwealth.in/morning-walk.html.

A daily walk helps you to not only relax your mind but it also allows you to reduce weight and build lean muscle. It promotes positive mental health, including higher levels of confidence. While a daily walk in the early morning is really helpful, you can also go for other techniques once you rise up early such as Yoga.

For those who can’t find time to walk in the early morning, you can still make the benefit of walking. You can make use of the stairs instead of the regular lift in the office or you can prefer to use a public transport, and it is better if the house is pretty far away from where you need to take the public transport. Walking is the most natural form of physical exercise that gives you strength both physically and mentally. It allows you to stay fit and swift and itinerant.

Make it a habit of walking daily in the early morning. Write it down in your agenda list, and bring it to the top of the list, and make it as a high priority. So, what are you waiting for? Start walking now. After all, it’s your life, and you have to take care about it. No one else will come to rescue you.

START WALKING NOW!

2008-07-09T13:53:00.000+05:30

When the Market shall seem to stabilize, thou shall be the day for technical writers!

“Arre yaar! Fir se gir gayi! Market to yehi hai haal”

No, these are not the words from a new Hindi movie but instead these are words of a person who is a keen observer and follower of stock market.

With the market crashing each day, and every day you hear that stock market is going down and declining, it has become an immense cause of worry for any individual whether salaried or self-employed. A salaried individual has their own worries as they feel what their company will do to them in the current market scenario. With the current market scenario, it seems to me that an employee needs to stick around wherever they are. Gone are the days of job hopping with high salaries. In addition, gone are the days when you might have earned through stock market. The people who earned a huge amount of money were lucky enough. And, then the news comes about the high-rise in inflation rate. So the worries are not to be stopped. They in turn pile one on another. And, they keep on coming, one by one. The day starts with a good morning sun rise, and we wish that the stock market will get up today but only to realize the worse is still to come.

The experts though believe that nothing is lost as the market is now for those who are willing to take risks on a longer term. The current market trend is not for those who want profits through short-term investments. But, still, as a common man, I feel that if my money is on stake then will it going to recover the losses in the long run. I feel the pinch of heat going upon me when I see the amount of losses I have incurred until now.

But, with the current market scenario, where do I as a technical writer stand by in this industry? Sometimes, I realize that are there any jobs in the market to offer for technical writers. It’s that time where the companies are cutting down their costs to save each and every penny of money. And, with Technical Writing being still considered as a support function, I feel that why will a company want to spend so much in hiring a technical writer. They would instead want to hire a technical writer on a contract basis or pay the technical writer on an hourly basis. But, this is not good for technical writers. Today, the jobs for technical writers seem to be in scarce and it seems that now the attrition rate will go down in the companies. It is that time where we need to specialize in certain skills or even cross-train ourselves in different areas within the industry. There is so much to do, and there is so much to offer in the industry. Remember the saying, “Jack of all and master of none.” So, now the time has come to be a jack of all the tools and principles because you can’t be a master of one technology as you may never know whether that technology will be of use tomorrow. The market has become really unpredictable and with this unpredictable nature you can never be sure what’s in store for the near future. But, let us not be pessimistic. As, they say that there are always the dark side in a life.

So, lets be positive and move ourselves towards the building a better future. The economy will recover one day or other, and return with a bang; it will take time though. Meanwhile, the time has come to sharpen our tools and get a formalized education. This is a lesson for all those who have wanted to earn money with a bang. That’s not the case now as it is high time to make ourselves worth it, and prove that we really deserve to be there in this industry based on our experience and skills. Last but not the least, I would like to quote the few lines from a Hindi song of the latest Hindi movie released last Friday:

“beete kal se hum ko seekh jaana
naye kal ke kal-2 se pal-pal sajana hai”

2008-06-17T14:18:00.000+05:30

jaaniye heeriye
jaaniye heeriye
mere mann ye bata de tu
kis or chala hai tu
kya paya nahi tune
kya dhundh raha hai tu
jo hai ankahee jo hai ansuni
woh baat kya hai bata
Mitwa kahein dharkanein tujhse kya
mitwa yeh khudse toh na tu chhupa

Heard those lines somewhere. YES! many times in the movie "Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna when Sharukh sings in the Football stadium. These lines make me realize the purpose of my living on this earth, why I am here on this earth and what am I doing.

" kya paya nahi tune
kya dhundh raha hai tu"

What have you achieved so far, and what are you searching for? It clearly depicts your thought, allows you to THINK that what is it that you want from life, and do something about it. Its hight time to get up and be recognized in this world which is full of opportunities.

"Mitwa kahein dharkanein tujhse kya
mitwa yeh khudse toh na tu chhupa"

Listen to your heart as it is your heart that will tell you the truth, and it is your heart that cannot allow to hide anything from yourselves.

THINK about it.

2008-05-27T21:43:00.000+05:30

Today, I'll turn 31. Phew, seems a lot though. It means to have shades of gray or it means to have sent 31 long years but still not have achieved what I want to in this journey of life. It means though that I am still travelling and I have miles to go before I sleep, reach my last destination.

2008-05-21T21:29:00.001+05:30

Currently, I am reading a book called “How to Grow Rich? By Napoleon Hill”, which clearly states the facts about how to grow rich?

Well, though there is no book that could teach you to earn money; but Napoleon Hill states few facts that help you to grow your mind, and be persistent with your thoughts in order to grow rich. It is essential for you keep your energy levels high and always keep yourselves charged up. It is essential for you to understand the importance of esteemed desire. It is the burning desire of money that convinces you of acquiring it. No matter, how hard work you do; until and unless you have that burning desire, you wont be able to acquire riches.

To grow rich, you need to keep away yourselves from various ghosts of fear, such as fear of poverty, fear of criticism, fear of ill health, fear of old age, fear of loss of someone, and last but not the least fear of death. These fears reflect your state of mind. Its your mind that allows you to think, to have thoughts of acquiring the world’s best riches. These fears will hinder your thoughts, and would come in your way in acquiring riches. You also must of faith in yourselves while acquiring riches.

2008-05-18T11:39:00.000+05:30

A candle light dinner

Rani was so excited today as she was going to have dinner, a candle-light dinner with her husband, Ramesh who is coming home early. She had prepared some finest dishes for him, his favorite’s ones, and have recollected some of his favorite DVDs from the DVD store, and will be playing that once he comes in. It will be a perfect night for her and that too after a long time since we got married three years back. She could still remember that eventful day..how can she forget it! Ramesh's parents had come along to our house to meet them. It was that typical arranged marriage stuff as her mom's sister-in-law had arranged a match for her. According to her, Ramesh would be the one of the most wonderful person on earth, and I would be the lucky one.
Anyways, here she was waiting for her husband after 3 years of marriage, excited about the fact that he himself had asked to have a candle-light dinner with her, and nowhere else but at our own home. She asked him in the morning, "Darling, why don't we go to some restaurant?" He replied, "No, sweetheart. I want to be all alone with you, and want to have some intimate relations with you." That word "intimate" generated a kind of dizziness among her..but nevertheless, Indian wives are supposed to follow what their husband says. At least, this was what was said to Rani by her mother on the day of her marriage.

An then, suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It has to be Ramesh. He had promised to come early today so it had to be him. But, it was quite an unusual knock and was getting harder and harder...she slowly went closer to the door. She was afraid for a while as she heard in the news that there is a bogeyman wondering around our locality, and has already brutally murdered two housewives. This thought suddenly bought shivers to me, and she suddenly felt a little weak.

She looked from the peep hole..no one was there. She took a deep breath. At last, the person has gone. She turned around, and as soon as she started to move away from the door, it started to slam again. She turned around with a bang, and started to take step backwards slowly to move forward...she looked nervous. Suddenly, the door was banging even harder, and it frightened her even more. Then, again, it went silent. Now, the lights went off. There was darkness all around.

"Oh! Shit." she thought to myself. The inverter was also running out of battery. She had told Ramesh in the morning only to replace the battery, and he had consoled me that he will do it during this weekend. "But, what am she supposed to do right now?" she told to herself. "This darkness is going to kill me. Please, God! Help me. Don't let me die in the hands of this bogeyman." she pleaded before the God because once her grandmother had told her that if you are in danger, and you ask for something, God will always be there for you to help you. She turned to move towards the kitchen, and I turned on the gas stove. She lit the candle from the gas stove, and turned it off. She started to move towards the dining hall along with the candle. Suddenly, someone pulled her from behind, and put one over my mouth so that she couldn't shout, and with the other hand, tied both of her hands to her back. Then, he put tape on my mouth, and then moved to bring out his dagger from his pocket. She could only see his eyes as he was wearing a mask on his face, and I went pale when She saw dagger approaching her belly. Suddenly, a power came within her, and she kicked him hard on his stomach that allowed her to run hard for her safety. She quickly ran towards the bedroom. He came running towards me, and he caught hold of my legs. She bit his hands to release her legs from his knuckles, and then he quickly ran inside her bedroom, and slammed the door. He stood outside, started to bang the door, as if trying force it open. She pulled the bed, and threw it before the bed so that he couldn't open the door. Suddenly, the banging stopped. I could hear him speaking on his cell phone.

"She has locked herself from inside. What shall I do now?" He said. Then, there was a pause, and he said, "What? Are you serious? No, I cant. What if something goes wrong?" He said again, I am not going to do this." "What was it that someone was asking him to do?" she thought to herself. Her heart started to race with speed. She could hear her heartbeat in the dark, and she was sweating. Suddenly, she could hear the phone ringing. It was coming from downstairs as the phone was kept in the drawing room. "Shit" she told to herself. "What will I do now? What if he is standing outside? what if Ramesh is there on the phone. I could tell him about this thing, and he could help me take out of this. The phone kept on ringing. I slowly started to move towards the door, and pulled the bed a little, and peeped outside only to see no one outside. "Where the hell has he gone?" she told to herself. Her heart suddenly started to pound again. She slowly pulled the door open, and went downstairs, and picked up the receiver. She said in a trembling voice, "Hello! Whos this?"

"Sweetheart, what happened? What took you so long in picking up the phone?" said Ramesh. It was Ramesh, and I felt at ease. She started to cry, and told him that a man had barged inside our house, and was trying to kill me. "What?" He said shocked probably. "What are you telling?"

She told him that it was serious, and someone was deliberately trying to kill me. "Please save me, honey. I don't want to die."

"OK OK" He said. "Calm Down, first, and tell me where he is?"

I looked around only to find him nowhere. "He is not there, now" I told him.

"Sweetheart, you must be dreaming. It must be your own imagination."

She started crying as Ramesh did not believe her that there was someone in the house, trying to kill me. She said in sobbed voice, "There is someone in this house. Why dont you believe me dammit?"

"OK OK!". He said, "Do one thing. Close all the windows and lock it from inside, and do not open the door to any stranger until I come. As soon as she could say, Yes, someone pulled her again from behind, and pulled the phone cord and tied it over her neck. He was there again..she had told Ramesh, that he is trying to kill her. And, now, everything went blind befire her. She could hear Ramesh's last words, "I will be there in the evening, and we will have a candle-light dinner". Suddenly, she started to realize that she was dying. She could hear her mother's voices, she could hear herself screaming at her mother to let her go to the park, and she even see that she was hugging her maa & paa. And, then, suddenly, there was something that caught her eye. It was a dagger. It must have dropped from his hands on the floor in order to pull the cord. She caught hold of the dagger, and stabbed it on his belly. This loosened the grip of his hands, and cord went loose. She was stunned for a second, and then fell on the floor, as if she was unconscious. The man was lying in the pool of blood. Suddenly, she could hear the door open. A man stepped inside. She could hear the footsteps but she was in no position to get up on her own as she was too weak. She kept lying on the floor as if in an unconscious state. The man went close to the bogeyman’s body first, and said "What a waste of life? I told him to kill her and win the 5 lakh lottery." "Anyways, the money wasn't there for him maybe." said the stranger. Suddenly, she felt to recognize the voice but she wasn't able to hear him as he was speaking in a mild tone. He came towards her, and slowly knelt down, and said "Sweetheart, Look what a candle-light dinner I have got for you." and she could hear him laughing. And, this surprised her, and it shocked her even more. She felt like crying. So it was him..she couldn't believe herself...maybe he is someone else. "OH God! It shouldn't be him." she pleaded before GOD as she loved her husband so much and she couldn't imagine why he betrayed her, why did he wanted to kill her? Why? Why only me? She was suddenly lying there feeling both the pain in her body and in her heart, realizing the harsh truth of her life that her husband had tried to kill me but the question why he did so arose more often now.

She could sense that Ramesh had come close to her face, and she suddenly her eyes with a bang. Ramesh stood there, stunned, and in a state of shock that I was still alive.

"Why did u do this to me?" I asked him. "Why do you want to kill me?"

And, suddenly, the attacker came nowhere from behind and tried to stab her again. Rani bent down in an event to save myself, and the attacker stabbed Ramesh instead. There was silence for a moment, and she was trying to realize what has happened at that moment. Ramesh had tried to kill her, but instead he died his own fate. He is no more now. She will be now called the widow of Ramesh Khurana.

After Five Days

It has been five days since the boogeyman killed Rani’s husband, and she was been consoled by her parents and relatives. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. She got afraid as it was the fateful night that had killed her husband with that knock at the door. She opened to door, only to greet a handsome looking man, standing there. It was the Ramesh’s insurance agent. Rani asked him to com inside, and he handed her over the insurance papers to be signed. She completed all the formalities only to receive a cheque of two crores. She started to sob before him, holding the cheque in her hand, and saying, “What will I do of this money?” He consoled her, and said, “Please, Ma’am. You have the whole life in front of you. This money can give you all that which you want.” She stopped crying, and he asked her permission to leave. As he left, Rani closed the door behind him. Now, it was the telephone bell to catch her attention. She said, “Hello! Who’s this?” She then said, “Ok, I have the cheque. Yes I am coming.”

Rani went to the bedroom, and came outside with the changed outfit. She went to the bank to collect the money. Then, she came outside the bank where a car blocked her way. She opened the door of the car, and sat inside. There was the man wearing the mask sitting on the driver’s seat. She pulled the mask over his head, only to see Ramesh in front of her. She put up a gentle smile on her face, and they both hugged each other, kissed for a while. Rani thought to herself, “It had to be his plan. He was the Mr. Perfect.” She always had said, “This plan is going to fail. It wont work.” But Ramesh always had consoled her saying, “Don’t worry..it will work, and it will fetch us a million of rupees and give us a lifestyle which we cant even dream of.” She started to see the images of how ital happened. How the bogeyman came from behind, trying to stab her, and how she bent down, and then how the bogeyman went forward to stab Ramesh only to allow himself to fall down. And, then Ramesh tried to catch hold of him, and stabbed him on his face. He wounded his face so much so that no one can recognize his face. He then quickly exchanged his clothes with the bogeyman, and according to the plan Rani was already there to send Ramesh throw outside the window so that everyone feels that it was the bogeyman who had killed Ramesh, and had run away. Rani had erased all the traces of evidence that would even arouse suspicion. “It was a perfect plan. It had to be.” Rani thought to herself. She hugged him again, and said to him, smiling, “Darling, What about the candle-light dinner?” They drove away taking the money along with them.

2008-05-16T16:37:00.001+05:30

“DITA”: The Buzzword in Technical Writing

A lot is being talked about DITA these days—most job descriptions in technical writing require it. Read on to know what it is all about.

DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture), pronounced as Di-tah, was first developed by IBM in the 1960s. It is a data model used for structuring and authoring technical content. But you might ask, why Darwin as a part of its name? Named after the environmentalist Charles Darwin, and based on his theory, DITA uses the principles of specialization and inheritance while developing the information.

So, what’s special about DITA? DITA reduces the developing costs associated with developing a technical documentation. It uses the topic-based architecture. Therefore, it helps you to develop smaller chunks of content instead of developing large portions of content as compared to traditional form of documentation. DITA helps you to classify the “complex” and “complicated” information into small chunks that can be easily understood by the user. It allows you to alter the current documentation, and then reuse it elsewhere. It allows you to concentrate on providing the task-based information to the end-user—it helps the user to do or learn something quickly. It allows you to design new information more easily and consistently.

DITA is based on various features, which have been a base of research for decades in the methods of technical communication, such as:

Its topic-based architecture offers flexibility in the content by ordering or reordering the topics in order to create any kind of documentation for the product.
It provides topic specialization, which is a process by which DITA lets you define your own topic types from existing ones.
It helps you to save time of manually creating the style sheet.
It allows you to leverage the advantages of XML architecture in various areas such as content or format separation, consistency in the content structure, and portability.
It allows you to write content in the form of modular topics, as compared to the conventional book. This helps you to easily reuse the topics in different deliverables.
It includes extensive metadata, which enables the users to find the topics easily.

Deliverables Produced by DITA

The DITA Open Toolkit released by IBM helps you to convert the content developed in DITA into various formats. Some of these formats include:

PDF
XHTML
Microsoft Compiled HTML Help
Eclipse Help
Java Help
Oracle Help
Rich Text Format

The Future is bright!

Today, DITA is a popular industry standard for technical communication. Sooner or later, it will become a de facto standard for not only technical publications but also for content management and dynamic publishing applications including XML-based dynamic publishing.

DITA”: The Buzzword in Technical Writing is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at akapoor.blogspot.com.

2008-02-04T17:30:00.000+05:30

Am I a “Good” Writer?

Many times, I ask myself a question that whether I am a “good” technical writer or a “bad” technical writer. I wonder what will be the definition of Good and bad technical writer. Being a technical writer, it is my job to put scientific and technical information into easily understandable language. I must empathize with my audience because it’s the audience who will appreciate my efforts, and not the client. Technical writing is a noble profession because it brings me closer to my audience, and allows me to convey only one meaning to the audiences. As a technical writer, I must not write in complex sentences filled with jargon and impressive words. When I started my first job as a technical writer, I had certain doubts in my mind such as whether this job will interest me or whether I will be able to earn enough money compared to my colleagues who earn a lot of money, or whether I would be able to communicate well with the programmers/developers. However, after having work for so long years as a technical writer, I have found an interest in this field. Now, I look back and realize what might have been the effective tips and techniques I got from my peers and managers to come at this level.

Tips and Techniques
Here are few technical writing tips/techniques to differentiate between good and bad writing.

THINK BEFORE YOU WRITE: As a technical writer, it is essential that you must think before you start writing a document whether it is a user manual, a proposal, or any training manual. It is extremely important that you must analyze a product, process, and procedure that need to be documented. You must first understand yourself clearly what you are writing about. It is as good as saying that “Put yourselves in your audience’s shoes”. Think how your audience will react to the product or a system. As a technical writer, you must consider yourselves as an "advocate" for the user, which means that you explain a system clearly from the audience’s perspective, anticipating the questions and problems of an average user. In this way, you may even provide suggestions to the system or procedure while is in the design phase.

KISS: The word "KISS" means, keep it simple and stupid. When I say simple and stupid, what am talking is to keep your document simple and you should not make use of drawn out and complex sentences in the document.

“ALWAYS FOLLOW THE TASK-BASED METHODOLOGY”: I found this heading from a website, and found it interesting. Now, you must be wondering what this “task-based approach” is. Consider a scenario where you got a host of information from a team of developers / programmers, and now you begin your phase of writing. While you documenting (user manual, training manual, or any proposal document), you might confuse yourselves to put all these details and give a proper shape. Thus, you must follow a task-based approach which means that you should always break a particular concept into different tasks. This will affect in structuring your document properly. A task-based approach allows you to analyze what tasks will the audience of your document want to perform. This will help you to benefit in terms of organization, readability and usability of a document. For example, consider a scenario where you wish to write a user manual for MS Word. For this, you should first describe how to start MS Word, create a new document, print a document, and work with a document and save the document. However, some of the technical writer might not agree with me as they would feel that a structured-based approach will be definitely a good option to write a document. It is certainly not wrong to use a structured approach as it is also essential to include structural information if your document is to be complete. However, you must understand from the audience’s perspective that an audience always wants first of all to accomplish a task, and then find out about the unessential details.

AVOID USAGE OF PHRASES IN TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS: As a technical writer, when you should keep a document simple and sweet, it also becomes essential to avoid any usage of phrases in your document. These phrases may complicate a sentence and may even prove to be dull and boring. For example, you mustn’t use phrases such as “afford an opportunity to”, “in view of the fact that”, “prior to”, “with reference to”, and “for the purpose of”. Instead, you should use simple words such as allow, because, before, and about which have the same meaning but have a soothing effect to the audience.

ALYWAYS MAKE USE OF ACTIVE VOICE: While you are writing a document, always remember to use active voice instead of passive voice. This makes your document interesting to read and even helps you to avoid using any lengthy sentences. Active voice usually is shorter and more direct than a passive voice, which is more complicated and lengthy.

AVOID VERBOSITY: This is the most common tip that you may find in most of web sites. Verbosity means long-windedness, which means that you must not tell the audience about how much you know about a product or a system. However, you should understand how your audience will understand your document. For this, always remember to keep your sentences in a document as concise as possible. Keep your sentences crisp and make it interesting to be read.

ORGANIZE USING HEADINGS: It is always said that a “heading” often summarizes a particular section for what you want to say to the audience. A heading may allow your audience to browse your document, and even skip certain sections that might not of immediate interest to the audience. Thus, it becomes utmost essential to organize your document with proper headings such as “Creating a Document”, “Saving a Document”, or “Closing the Application”. In addition, it is also recommended to use a “gerund” form while writing your headings. A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and functions as a noun. The term verbal indicates that a gerund, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being. A heading should not also mislead an audience. It should clearly depict the contents of that section.

In the end, I would like to quote that Technical Writing, though might look a boring profession to some people as it involve a lot of writing but it also at the same time helps the audience to understand a complex product or a system. So, take on the flight of technical writing but before that do always remember to fasten your seat belts which tighten you for your safe journey.

2008-01-08T22:11:00.000+05:30

Finally, India have WON!

Wait! not the test match but the battle as truth prevails...and in the midst of all this, cricket is the real winner. Australians may have won their 16th test, but many people know how they have won it. Everyone was watching it..and the SUNDAY will be marked in the historical of events. Thanks to the cricket lovers in India with the help of whom BCCI supported their team, and forced the ICC to do justice to India. However, what lost cant be won as WE have already lost the test series!

Also, many congratulations to media. This is what media can do......

2008-01-07T22:27:00.000+05:30

These days there is a buzz round the corner in every news channels about Harbhajan Singh being banned for three tests, and India losing the second test because of poor umpriring decisions. Ricky Ponting, the captain of the "world champions" Australian team says they had played the match in true spirits. I didnt see it, and neither any cricket lover may have seen it. Australia may have won the ecord 16th test but how did they won it, thats a question. Maybe, no one will remember how they won the record test but still they will always have a guilt feeling within inside for what tehy have done. They will realize it sooner or later, somewhere down the line.

An article in rediff.com quoted saying, "It is shameful this splendid test match, won in such a remarkable fashion by the indomitable Australians, has left such a bitter taste," wrote Mike Coward, veteran cricket writer."

All this hue and cry have been because of two issues, 1. Bad umpiring and 2. Ban on Harbhajan Singh for calling Symonds a "Monkey". I will not talk about the umpiring as it can happen with any test side..but Ban on Harbhajan Singh was really not expected. Recently, I was reading an article in CNN-IBN, "Monkey business? Symonds compared to Hanuman". Autralian newspapers have compared Andrew Symonds to Lord Hanuman who Hindus worhip. Soon, this news will splash in each and every news channels, and maybe some political parties even ask an explanation from the newspaper to compare Symonds with Hanuman. But, the main point is about the racial abuse that Andrew Symonds have complained about harbhajan singh to have called him a monkey. First of all, I would like to tell Mr. Symonds that the word "Monkey" is nowhere near the "Racial Abuse". It could be a racial abuse if he would have called him a black and so on....Whatever maybe the case, if Harbhajan Singh did call him a monkey then someone might have heard him except of Mr. Mathew Hayden and Mr Michael Clarke who have claimed to hear the the "M" word. As a matter of fact "Michael Clarke" even claims to catch the ball off Saurav's bat. So, wither Michael is telling a lie or there is a conspiracy in place against the Habhajan Singh and Indian team. Whatever may be the case, the loser has been the gentelman's game, "CRICKET". Yet, in this crisis, it is so good to see that the whole Indian team and the whole of India stands united to face the crisis.

I even read in an article quoting that "Since the Monkey God is one of the revered idols of Hindu mythology and worshipped by millions, it is surprising it was considered a racist term..."

2007-12-25T16:17:00.000+05:30

"Stranger"

It's 9 :00 PM now..I am in the parking lot of my office. I look for my car, and drive away to go back home. It has been a exhaustive day thoughout, today with lots of meetings and even the boss wasnt in a good mood today. My life has become miserable. Sometimes, I feel like going away from this big bad corporate world. Meetings, deadlines, appraisals, incentives...etc etc. There is nothing innovative to do in life. I have so much to do in life. I want to play a guitar, want to sing a song, start my own restaurant, and blah blah! Theres so much to do..but still cant fulfill my own dreams as I am so use to this corporate world. I have now become a part of it, and have to cope with it.

I start driving, get out of the building, and come on the road. There, I see a woman wearing a white saree asking for a lift. She seems to be in a trouble. Her car, though nowhere to be seen might have broken down, or she also might have been working late like me, and has no other alternative to go home. I stop my car besides her..I dont know why I did it but my foot just went over the brakes automatically. Maybe, the woman was so attractive that I just couldnt resist myself. She had long hair, bluish eyes, and she looked like an angel on this earth.

To be continued......

2007-11-29T16:48:00.000+05:30

Useful Links

www.gooddocuments.com/techniques/invertedpyramid.htm

www.gooddocuments.com/techniques/summaryexample.htm

2007-06-08T14:56:00.000+05:30

Types of Documents created by Technical Writer

API Guides
User Guides
Concept Guides
Database Guides
Developer's Guides
Installation Guides
Reference Guides
Release Notes
Implementation Guides
Quick Reference Guides
Administration Guides
Online Help Systems
Interactive Media
Training Materials
Maintenance Guides
Troubleshooting Guides
White Papers
Patch Release Notes
Data Sheets
Glossaries

Verticals where Technical Writers are required:

Aviation
Biotechnology
Building & Public Utility
Consulting/Professional Services
Defense
Educational Institutions
Shipping
Financial Institutions
Government
Hardware and Software
Healthcare
Insurance
Internet
Nonprofit Organizations
Shipping Ports
Telecommunications
Pharmaceuticals

How does Technical Writer help the industry?

Reduce costs of providing technical support if the instructions are well written.
A well-writtten document helps convince a prospective customer.
It helps avoid/reduce costly product redesigning.
Other team members such as QA/Testing can concentrate on other tasks as opposed to spending time on validating incomplete documents.

Tools that Techncial Writer Use

Authoring Tools:

Adobe FrameMaker
MS Word
Adovbe Dreamweaver
WebWorks Publisher
Adobe Robohelp

Imaging Tools

Microsoft Visio
Paintshop Pro
Adobe Photoshop
SnagIT

Style Guides

Microsoft Manual of style guide
Chicago manual of style guide

2007-04-16T15:17:00.000+05:30

"MANODASHA"

Frankly speaking, I am not a playwright nor I have any sort of knowledge of writing for plays and I haven’t even got a chance to watch one. However, still, I am here to describe about one of the finest plays in the history of theater. It’s called “Manodasha” that was held at Pearey Lal Bhavan, New Delhi on 7th April 2007. The play has been organized by “Amazing thoughts” theater group and it has been directed by Abhineshwar Dayal Saxena or “Abhi Da” as he is well known by his students.

Manodasha is a beautiful way to explain the mystery of life, which gives you a walkthrough of various events that have occurred in life i.e. from one destruction to another. Manodasha reflects the social & political philosophy of various eras. It starts when the universe originated where every human being has only the natures’ wealth in hand. It then goes ahead to describe that the times have changed since then, and in the modern society, also called “KALYUG” man has bought changes to not only the lifestyle but also the thinking have changed altogether. The modern times has given rise to casts, ravenousness, and egoistic attitude. Manodasha tries to explain that the human being have become obsessed to the raced to the power, and have bought a false belief to become an almighty. This has led to jealousy, enmity, and hostility that is a step further to the destruction of mankind.

In the hunger to win the race of authority, the human being has started to act like a God. Today, the humans possess nuclear weapons which have brought the world at the edge of the cliff. In addition, it is highly probable that the race to acquire these weapons will bring destruction. The humanity will face its devastation from the world and will turn our earth into desert symbolizing the death of mankind.

This play brings in light to the manipulation of the system by the power and the acceptance of such values & system by the society. It has throttled the lives of human beings. This play explains that how a human being tries to fight against the evil does of the socio-political equation but is handicapped with its own problems of livelihood. It explains how the human being in turn struggles for existence on this earth, and in turn has become a victim of cast, greed, and ego. However, this play doesn’t depict any particular era as a whole. It tries to tell different stories that have occurred in various eras in order to reflect the equation of state of human being’s mind.

MANODASHA has been staged many times since 1980. It was staged three times at the Motilal University and then in Bhavana Kala Mandir. In addition, it was staged six times in the Indian Youth festival at Maulana Azad College, where it was chosen as the best original script.

2007-03-09T10:03:00.000+05:30

The Role of a Technical Writer in an IT company

When I joined my first organization as a technical writer, I was the only technical writer in the company. Though, my designation was a technical writer, I was performing all the tasks except for technical writing, which included developing marketing proposals, brochures, sales presentations, multimedia applications such as Computer-Based Tutorials (CBT), and so on. But as I was beginning my career, I didn’t mind doing those tasks. Today after gaining some experience (six years to be precise) in technical writing and looking back at those years, I try to visualize my career path if I hadn’t been a technical writer. What I could have been, a programmer, a DBA, or a Quality Analyst? There could have been more options; I don’t want to even think of. I thank my heavens for getting an opportunity to work as a technical writer. You must be wondering, why? Why is it that I am happy to be a technical writer? How does this job excite me? Why am I interested only in technical writing and not development, testing, or any other career path? The only reason being that the technical writers act as an interface between the developers and end users. These users include consumers as well as scientists, engineers, programmers themselves, and production managers. As a matter of fact, I am doing a community service by acting as a bridge between the users and the product. My role as a technical writer involves translating the typical information about the product into a language that is easily understood by any user.

Most companies tend to underestimate the role of a technical writer, and try to demoralize them by not giving them enough resources. However, it all depends upon the technical writers as to how they manage those situations. In addition to this, many companies don’t know the importance of technical writing, and they even try to cut the costs of developing documentation. This is because of lack of awareness among the companies about the importance of involving a technical writer in the documentation. Today many companies are slowly beginning to understand the role of technical writer but there is a lot of work to be done. As there goes a saying, “Miles to go before we sleep…”, and thanks to STC-India (Society of Technical Communication) for its wonderful work on generating awareness about this field.

The role of technical writers include more than just writing any documents, and with the widespread use of desktop publishing, a technical writer may be involved in the whole publication process including graphics, layout, and document design. As a technical writer, I have been a part of developing documentation such as training materials, user manuals, help systems, and multimedia presentations. In addition, it also involves developing product instructions, reference and maintenance manuals, articles, project proposals, technical reports, catalogs, and brochures. All this and much more involve a technical writer’s hand.

A technical writer can have wide variety of job-titles such as Medical Writer, Communications Specialist, Policy and Procedure Writer, Proposal Writer, Publications Specialist, Science Writer, Documentation Specialist, Health Writer, Information Developer, or a Technical Editor. As a technical writer, I carry out the following tasks while developing the documentation:

Analyze the needs of the target audience
Study the data and conduct interviews with the subject matter experts to understand the product or procedure
Arrange illustrations, charts, and photographs to be included in documentation
Edit, standardize, or revise material prepared by other writers or personnel
Assist in laying out material for publication
Prepare rough drafts of the publication for review with the project staff and/or customers
Create and edit web pages for the Internet and corporate intranets and extranets

Now, the question comes in that what are the skills required for me as a technical writer. There are various skills, and some of these include:

Ability to communicate effectively with various people while writing the documentation.
Ability to listen effectively to what other people are saying and ability to ask appropriate questions.
Ability to gather information and identifying the essential information.
Ability to find ways to structure or classify multiple pieces of information, and then reorganizing the information to obtain a better approach to problems or tasks.
Ability to quickly grasp any new technology or concept.
And, last but not the least, which is the most important skill for technical writers is the English Grammar skills. A technical writer should have knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Now, you must find the following piece of information amazing as I am going to talk about willingness to travel, and more so, travel abroad as it is done by most of our counterparts who are working as developers or QA or so on. Moreover, you must be sad to know that technical writer is a usually a job that is done at your own workplace, and more so after this job has been outsourced by most companies in USA to India. However, you may be required to travel to various locations during the planning and production of technical publications. This is done in order to discuss the project details. Often, technical writers may work alone or together under the supervision of a publications chief or editor, a product or procedure specialist, or a marketing manager.

Technical writing has become increasingly popular, and a reputed occupation in various sectors of the industry. More and more people are willing to opt for this field as this field doesn’t only pay you well but it also involves you to learn new and upcoming technologies. The demand for the technical writers is growing and is expected to grow more because of the need to communicate new scientific and technical information to the end-users. Due to this ever increasing demand, the companies have started to show interest in providing education on technical writing to the students. There are few companies who offer courses on technical writing that allow the students to not only obtain the certificate in technical writing but also gain hands-on experience in this field. The day is not far when there will also be degree courses in technical writing. This is a dream which I feel will come true. I am waiting for the day to come.

Are you also waiting?

2007-01-31T14:53:00.000+05:30

“Telegram”

Ram Prasad, a retired hawaldaar, was waiting anxiously for his son's return from the war. His son, Ramesh had gone to the kargil sector to fight against the enemies who had infiltrated into our territory.

Ram Prasad had already heard in the news channels about the killings of various soldiers. Since then, he was worried about his son's whereabouts. Thus, he was waiting to get some message that will tell him that his son was fine. Ramesh was his only son though; his only hope to stay alive after his wife had died a long time back. He regretted himself to have sent his only son against the wishes of his son to fulfill his needs and desires, because it was he wanted to be in the Indian Army but couldn’t go because of certain reasons. He cried, he wept, and begged to god for his son's safety. He pleaded to god to not take his son's life, he pleaded to let him stay with him because he was the only one left in his life.

Then suddenly, there was a knock at the door, a loud thump. Everything went silent, there was silence everywhere. He felt scared to open the door. But, then he thought maybe it was his son himself. There was also this hope that allowed him to move slowly towards the door. As he opened it, he was greeted by his friend who was a postman. His friend said, "Hello! There is telegram message for you."

He quickly took the telegram from him, closed the door, and opened it. The telegram has just one line mentioned in it, "Major Ramesh Prasad dies in the kargil war."

2007-01-04T11:36:00.000+05:30

A Million-Dollar Smile

Today, when I woke up in the morning, I woke up with a “SMILE” on my face. I always wonder what a smile can do to you.

Well, it can change your whole life drastically, and it can change your attitude throughout the day. Just one smile can bring two enemies together, and bring peace and prosperity. As there goes the saying, “You haven’t lost your smile, its right there below your nose; you just forgot it was there.” It means that you were in involved so much in your worries that you forgot to even smile. Smiling is not a difficult task. You just have spread your lips a little bit, and it’s a nice exercise too for your health. A smile can change your whole world, and it can make your life beautiful. It has the biggest advantages of all as a smile can make new friends, it can bring two distant people come closer. It puts other people at ease. It can be a great way to start a new relationship. If you are meeting a person for the first time, then, just pull up your million-dollar smile, and see the magic for yourself. A smile can even let us know about our personality and especially our level of self-esteem. It can help improve your social life and bring confidence within yourself.

“SMILE, and the world smiles at you.”

Imagine a person who is having a tough time during the day, and you just go to him with your smile. See the magic it will create to him after watching your smile. It will allow him to feel fresh. And now, you must be wondering that how can we smile all the time. Maybe, people will call us mad to smile on a funeral. But, its not always necessary to smile with your lips. A smile can make you realize that you are not the only one who has the sorrow & pain. There are others who have the same thing. Tell me one human being on this earth who do not suffer from pain whether it is due to loss of some loved one or loss of a job or any other pain. A successful person is one who smiles no matter what happens in their life.

A smile can make you live longer, and it has been even proved by many psychologists. According to a study of general psychiatry published in November ‘2004, it was proved that the elderly optimistic people were less likely to die than the pessimistic people were. As optimism helps you to always smile, which in turn lets you fight illnesses better. Due to optimistic attitude, people have the strong and robust immune systems. Christopher Peterson, Phd says that “Optimistic people act differently…..and are more likely to do the things that public health experts say are associated with good health”. Smile helps you feel like eating tons of chocolate bars. Smile helps bring happiness to you life as well as to the people around you, and that includes your family, your friends…A hale and hearty smile can help you improve your confidence and helps you succeed in your career. A smile is contagious. It helps to make others smile too. It helps create a “halo” effect thus helping us to feel more positive and more motivated.

Let me put forth a wonderful poem on Smile by Kurt Hearth,

A smile
is a frown turned upside down.
A smile
is painted on the face of a clown.
A smile
brightens a dreary day.
A smile
chases tears away.
A smile
is a gift that shows you care.
A smile
is priceless no matter where.
A smile
is the key to happiness.
A smile
a sure sign of success.

When you feel lonely in a strange place.
It helps to see a smile on another's face.
If there is any real magic around.
It is the silent magic of a smile's sound.

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and smile and let others smile too to spread happiness and prosperity…And then, there might be no suffering

2006-12-14T09:20:00.000+05:30

How to Remain HAPPY?

It’s so simple to smile; but it’s too difficult to be happy. Many of us may think the last time when we were happy, and that brings joy and happiness in their lives. As, happiness is a process; it is not a place. We might have read several books on how to remain happy but unless you are happy from inside, no book can provide you happiness from outside. Researchers feel that happiness is a key ingredient to a healthy life. We often try to find out ways to remain happy. I ask you a question whether you do not try to extend your happiness situations to remain happy and in an event we tend to avoid un-pleasurable situations.

Today, we live in a society where information is provided to us instantly with latest technologies wherever we might be located. We might even find answers on Google on "how to remain happy" or "how to make ourselves smile" and so on..but all this information cant bring happiness in our lives until we transform ourselves, and adapt to the environment. First of all, I would ask you a question as to what is the aim in your life. To remain happy, it’s very important to understand the goal or an aim in your life. And, it’s equally important to identify your goal in this fast paced environment. I would like to recall the incident that happened in the famous epic, "Mahabharata" where 'Arjun' had just one aim when he was to hit the fish. I make him my idol and realize the simple fact that, Aimless person cannot remain happy from within. Ask yourself a simple question that have you accomplished the task you had set yourself today or have you set yourself any short- or long-term targets to achieve your goal.

Several researches have proved that only 30% of the people remain happy and 40% remain unhappy while the remaining 30% are in the dilemma whether to remain happy or not. This dilemma has a lot to do with what we used to study in school or colleges, and that is "Study". Our honorable teachers have taught us many subjects like Science, Maths, etc..but they haven’t taught us the simple philosophy of life that how to remain happy irrespective of situations that we face in our life. I know that this might sound awkward to you because how can one remain happy when some very near to you dies or you are at a funeral ceremony. People might think you a mad person to remain happy on a situation like this. But, in such situations also, you can remain happy. YES! Its not always important to smile when you are happy. Sometimes, being calm and remaining to oneself or accepting the present moment also pertains to happiness.

Now, you must be wondering to yourselves, "Why I am telling you all this? I am happy and much happier person in this earth. Moreover, if you think so, then think again and look inside yourselves as to whether you are saying truth to yourselves. As, life flows like a river with a many waves and tides occurring in it, and changing your life dramatically. Have you ever though, why do we want happiness because it feels good. Therefore, to feel good, it is equally important to adapt to the changing environment, as the world is not CONSTANT.

I would like you to try this simple exercise to think of three different things that you did today that should make you feel happy. THINK about it, and then you will feel an energy from within that will bring happiness in your life. Then, you will be the true happy person on this earth. Try to make others happy, or help those who are in need to get happiness in your lives. Try to gain composure when at pain – whether the ‘pain’ is physical or emotional.

Refer this:
=======
http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/happiness/

2006-10-24T13:22:00.000+05:30

Helpful Resources for New Bloggers

2006-10-23T17:11:00.000+05:30

First of all, let me take this opportunity to congratulate all the readers of this blog a very happy and a prosperous deepawali and Eid. On this day, we celebrate the festival of lights and a victory of good versus evil, and also we pray that there is only one god and i.e. the mankind.

When you talk of skills for technical writers, what does it come into your mind? Is it just soft skills or just technical skills, or both of them?

Well, I believe, a technical writer should have more of soft skills than technical skills.

Technical writing involves translating the technical information into more easily understandable language. They prepare a lot of scientific and technical reports, operating and maintenance manuals, catalogues, assembly instructions, sales materials and project proposals. Thus, to be an effective technical writer, you require a good mixture of technical as well as soft skills, such as communication skills and listening skills. Few of the soft skills include the following:

Analyzing audiences
Interviewing different people, such as subject matter experts etc.
Facilitating meetings
Managing projects
Working without direct supervision
Understanding the product single-handedly
Having knowledge of different mediums, such as user manuals, marketing literature, technical illustrations, documentation, and so on.

It’s very important for a technical writer to communicate properly either with the client, user, or the developers to produce an effective documentation. The soft skills help a technical writer to build a healthy business relationship with the audience. In addition to this, a technical writer must be patient enough. There may be situations when the technical writers do not get much attention from their peers, developers, and client and so on. Being patient, it helps them to have a keen hope of being granted a one-to-one discussion with different people. Technical writers also must have an ability to quickly understand the information that they seek from different people. This helps them to save time and avoid any further repetitive discussions with different people. It is also equally important for the technical writers to have good researching skills. This means that the technical writers must be able to research properly on the information on which they have to prepare the documentation. It allows them to add value to the documentation.

2006-10-18T11:08:00.000+05:30

The art of communicating: How effective is it for technical writers?

Recently, I read an article on communication skills, which says that communicating
with people is a tough job. It's not only tough but also difficult as it's a skill that requires you to practice daily. Communication means exchange - a communion demands that we listen and speak skillfully, not just talk mindlessly. For any individual communication is a key aspect in business, workplace, or at the domestic front. It is an important and essential tool to maintain good interpersonal relationships. Certain studies reveal that good communication skills have changed millions of lives.

Do you have it in you?

Let us understand the purpose of communication. Communication is the process of conveying your message to an individual or a group. Sometimes, during the process of communication people might misinterpret the conveyed messages, leading to needless confusion and counter productivity. Thus, for any communication to be successful the listener has to understand the exact message that is conveyed. In a recent survey of recruiters from the organizations of more than 50,000 employees, communication skill plays a major role in deciding a manager of the company. To effectively communicate, you must consider the following key things:

· The actual message
· The audience
· Perception of the message

There are certain barriers in communication that have a potential to create confusion as well as misunderstanding. Thus to communicate effectively, you need to minimize these barriers at each stage of the communication process. You need to be clear, concise, and accurate in your communication.

Ensure that the message you want to convey is short, organized, and accurate. In addition, avoid using poor verbal and body language that might confuse the listener.

Follow these rules to communicate effectively and build healthy relationships:

You versus I messages
During the communication process, try to use the first person (I) as they avoid blaming or accusing the receiver of the messages. For instance, it’s always better when you say, “When you cannot mail it to the client, I will prefer to mail it myself” instead of saying “You should have to mailed to the client”.

Communicate the complete message
Any message consists of four key components: observations, thoughts, feelings, and needs. If any of these components is missing, your message is incomplete which again confuses the listener.

Avoid using your feelings
While communicating, do not reveal your feelings to the listener. This might form a negative impression in the minds of the listeners. Be specific about the message and keep your voice under control.

Be problem-focused rather than person-focused
While communicating, use appropriate words that focus on the action and not on the character or the personality of the listener. Avoid criticism as it tends to blame and attack the individual personally.

Use a proper body language
You might be clear in conveying your message, but if your body language is inappropriate the whole message could be misunderstood. Try to avoid the following gestures while communicating:

· Rolling your eyes
· Crossing your legs or arms
· Tapping your foot
· Gritting your teeth

Avoid using any mixed messages
While conveying a message try to stick to a particular subject and avoid mixing compliments and complaints.

Resolve grudges and misunderstandings
If you have certain negative feelings about your listener, resolve them rather than letting the grudge into contempt. If your verbal or nonverbal behavior such as obvious abuse, insults, name calling, and so on conveys a lack of respect, your relationship with the other person is in danger. Any relationship that is beleaguered by abusiveness and negativity will have a very difficult time surviving.

Do not indulge in stonewalling
Theorists call the behavior of shutting down as stonewalling, which means refusing to communicate or storming out of the room. Thus, communication is impossible when you are stonewalling, because you refuse to participate in the communication process. Sometimes, stonewalling may even damage a healthy relationship. For more information on stonewalling, read the famous book Why Marriages Succeed or Fail and How You Can Make Yours Last by John Gottman.

In the end, I will like to quote the famous words of Carl W. Buechner who said, “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Thus, to be an effective communicator, you need to express your thoughts, ideas, and feelings to others but it is also essential to remember that you need do this very judiciously.

2006-10-09T15:53:00.000+05:30

A letter to a friend

Hi Friend..

(this is a letter from a true to another true friend....it may belong to anyone..)

Whenever, I remember the day when we met, I feel tears im my eyes..its not tears of sadness..but tears of happiness. because, it was you made me realize the meaning of true friendship..somehow, I came to believe that somewere there are still some true friends who exist in this world. I dont know how we met whether it was destiny or what..but whatever it was, it was a very special moment for me as I got to know a person whom I will remember till the death do us apart..I can remember the days when I used to spent time with you and share my grief and happiness with you, and even I could share some of my confidenial secrets with you with a belief in mind that is called a "TRUST"...A true friendship is one where there is trues..and when there is no trust..there doesnt exist any friendship..I still remember the day when you were in a midst of career fall-down and I had made you realize the path that you need to take..it wasnt I who said you those words..but it was a true friend who was trying to empathize you..My intentions were not to console you but to take you out of that moment...and you very well did..I still remember the day I was down mentally and you had brought me up and cherished me that really lifted my spirits..

For that is the true quality of friendship where a true friend always inspires you to do well..and understands you well..and above all lifts up your spirits..
the dictionary meaning of a friend is one who knows you well and regards you with affection and trust. A friend is a person with whom you are acquinted..who backs you or supports you in all your decisions..

and I would always like you to be my friend forwever...and always...

from a friend...

2006-10-06T14:20:00.000+05:30

It’s all about what we think….

Our mind is just like a computer where there is processing going on each time. Our mind is also full of thoughts and ideas that keep on coming. We cannot stop our mind to think but we can control the way we think by being present in the now. Our mind always comes across two types of thoughts, positive as well as negative. And, there is always a conflict between the two types of thoughts. It depends upon your actions and how you behave to certain things that allow you to win against each of these thoughts.

The dictionary meaning of a positive thought is being optimistic or confident or focus on good things. The more you use words like “I can” or “I will” or “I shall”..the more you start cultivating your mind with positive thoughts. A positive thought brings what it is called, a fighting spirit within you. It is this “fighting spirit” that allows you to avoid any kind of fear of doing things or making new friends or finding a true love in your life. So, in a way, a positive thought allows you to get rid of any kind of insecurity.

On the other hand, a negative thought is just an opposite of positive thought which means being pessimistic. A negative thought in your mind tends to have a detrimental outlook. For example, if a person uses words/sentences like “I am not good at any thing” or I cant do this”, then these thoughts pull the person down so as not to believe in him/her or in what he/she can do. The negative thoughts are like evils that build a wall around you disallowing you to even try out things which you feel that you can do.

2006-10-05T12:38:00.000+05:30

Lost in the big city....

Well, I live in delhi..its a metro and as a matter of fact its a capital of India. We have accessibility to all the things that are required to lead a daily life such as buses, metro rail, cars, etc....but still there is something that is missing somewhere...

Somewhere, I feel we are running too fast and we are moving too much ahead of time...in order to achieve something..We are trying ourselves too hard to press ourselves to succeed that is causing us to lead a stressfull life. Why is it that people who live in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta only have more heart attacks as compared to people who live in small towns..Its due to a simple reason that people in small towns tend to take life easily..they tend to live in a friendly manner...they also want to earn money..who doesnt want it anyways?? but in an other way, they also dont forget the importance of relationships..to help each other at all times..to make otehrs comfortable and at ease..which is not at all there in big cities due to the rush life..

And, this rush life is created by us..the individuals..it is man-made..

2006-09-05T16:45:00.000+05:30

Zindagi ka Safar

yeh safar bada kathin hai...
phir bhi chalte jaana hai
har mod pe mushkilen hai..
phir bhi chalte jaana hai
kabhi dhooop to kabhi chaaon hai
phir bhi chalte jaana hai
kahin aar to kain paar hai…
phir bhi chalte jaana hai

2006-08-25T15:25:00.000+05:30

Once upon a time, there was a Project Manager who used to work in a multinational software company. Or, should I start with “Once upon a time..”; but, since I am telling a story so I have to use it. Nevertheless, the Project Manager is still working there. It’s only that his life has been reformed now, and he is an improved person.

So, the Project Manager used to work 24 hours a day and seven days a week, and he was dedicated to his job. He had already been a recipient of many “Star Employee” awards in the company. Let me tell you about his personal life. He was married and had a good-looking wife. He also had a 6-year old son who went to a private school. But, since the Project Manager was always dedicated to his work…so he didn’t even had time to know about his child’s well being. Moreover, what class he has been into and he don’t even noticed his child’s first walk. Therefore, one day, when finally, he had nothing to do at office, he decided to go home a little early. That was a surprise for some of the people working in the company, and some even saw him in amusement. But, finally the day has come when he decided to go early. Therefore, he called his cab and asked the cab driver to drop him early today. When he reached home, a six-year old boy (who was his son) opened the door who failed to recognize his own dad and asked him, “Who are you?” The boy then went to his mother, and said, “There is someone on the door whom I don’t know”. His mother came running to the door, and first felt surprised, and then felt a little angry. Surprised because her husband has come before even his usual time, and angry because her son had failed to recognize his father. But, she didn’t express her anger to his son; instead, she looked at her husband and just gave an indication with her eye like it saying, “Look, your son don’t even recognize you”. That was the most embarrassing moment for the Project Manager because his own son didn’t even recognize him as his father. He didn’t say a word to his wife or to his son. He quietly stepped inside the house, and went to his room. Then, he closed the door and locked it from inside. He then took out his family album which he didn’t have time to take out all through these years.

At least, we have an advantage to watch our past through the photographs which makes us realize that what we have missed and what we have done.

The Project Manager quietly kept turning the pages of the album, and saw the moments that he had missed, the moments that he could cherished, the moments that were much better than those awards and trophies which he won in the company, the moments that he could have enjoyed while he was busy bringing profits for his company. He kept on turning pages of the album, and with each page turned; a drop fell from his eyes making him realize of the fact that he has missed so many cherishing moments. Then, finally, he came to picture where he saw his son with a trophy, which was not similar to one he had received in the company because it was much smaller. But, he was happy that his son too had won a trophy but sad that he wasn’t there to enjoy and celebrate the moment. Finally, the album ended, and he made up his mind; that was the end of the day. Because from there on, he will be a refined person and he vowed to himself that he will come early and spent time with his family, which includes his wife and his son and enjoy every moment. He wiped his tears, and opened the door with a smile like he had just been born or like a doctor opens a door when a child is born showing signs of happiness. He then sat down to have dinner with his wife and son…and listened to his son’s wildest things, and enjoyed them.

The moral of the story is that “Work but in between also do not forget to spent time with your loved ones..your family, your family may include anyone, such as wife, son, mother, father, or anyone else….because they need your time more than your money. Money can be earned but not TIME because it is time that’s precious and not MONEY…TIME is more precious than thousands of diamonds because once you lose it…you are left with only memories and nothing else.

2006-08-24T14:48:00.000+05:30

Sometimes it seems frustrating!

Yesterday, when I was going back home..I saw something that remains fresh in my memory even now. I saw a person traveling with me didn't had all his fingers in his left-hand. That was a tragic site..and I just felt bad after seeing that incident. How could he manage to work still without all his fingers??

But, still, he was..or rather he is surviving...

How many people we see in our society with such disability but still they are living life, and are more happier than us who seem to have no disability problems. I believe that such people provide us an indication on how should we live a Life. Life is beautiful so why should we complain on things that we don't have. Once I saw my friend saying to himself after watching Yuvraj Singh hit six sixes, "I wish I could be a cricketer then I could be earning like Yuvraj". So, his ultimate aim is not to be a cricketer but to earn lots of money, which he is doing already with his profession. It feels like people don't have confidence on their own abilities, on what they can do. This is a result of concentrating on what others have and not what you have. If you are able to find your own SELF, then you will be able to know what best you can do, what best you can give to this world. Every individual has a hidden talent within oneself...it is just a matter of recognizing it at the right time. It is also having a positive attitude because only then one will be able to realize your own potential. Look into yourself first before you look into others to identify your strengths and weaknesses, and try to make weakness as your strength.

TRY to be your own self!

As Zig Ziglar wisely said, "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great"

2006-08-11T15:09:00.000+05:30

Are you addicted too much to your job?

Here goes a story about a person whom I remember who used to behave and act as a technical writer in any walk of life. His name is Shyam. No matter, where was he or on what location; he just couldn't stop thinking that apart from being a technical writer he is something else also. I remember one incident when I had gone to his house for a dinner. Let me tell you something about his family. Shyam is married and he has lovely looking wife and a cute little daughter who is just 3 years old. So, when I reached his home, I was greeted by his wife. Shyam came from inside, and greeted me with a nice shake-hand and a lovely smile as usual. He was looking weak and had even grown fat as compared to what I had seen him six months earlier. Shyam and I work as Technical Writers, and it has been almost six months since we have met due to our lengthy schedules. He asked me if I need to have something, and I asked for a cup of tea. His wife came in with three cups. Then, we all sat together to have a chat and discussed about our past and how it has been. In the midst of the discussion, I noticed a very strange thing in Shyam. It was that whenever Shyam’s wife spoke; she as interrupted in between to improve the language and speak again. Moreover, he even interrupted me to speak correct language, and do not use any colloquial words. Then, I slowly realized the situation and thought to myself that he has been addicted so much to his job that he has taken it too personally. When Shyam went to kitchen to fetch a box of cookies that he has got from US, I got a chance to speak to his wife. His wife too agreed to this situation, and said, “I know that he has been addicted to the job but I am helpless as I have tried to explain him so many times. However, he has got his job to his nerves.” She said, “I have even threatened to leave the house if he doesn’t just stop getting too addicted to his job; but all in vain.”

Actually, this is the story of each software professional and it will become true for them if they don’t act at the right time and keep on working hard on their job. As there goes a saying, “Do not work hard; Work smart”. We need to understand one thing that whatever we do as a profession; in the end, it’s the family that matters for whom we earn a livelihood. In this story, the “Shyam” could be you, and it depends upon you as to how do you want to work. Recently, there was an article forwarded by one of my friends from Infosys chief, Naraynan Murthy, which clearly disallowed his employees to work overtime and advised them to spend their time with their respective families. So, I want to you to ask this question, “Are you getting addicted to your job?” If your answer is, Yes, then I recommend that you need a long break. Go ahead and have a weekend blast with your family or if you are married, and have a child, then try solving your child’s puzzle or make him/her do the math’s sums or even better help your wife get some groceries for the kitchen. In this way, you will get closer to your family and reduce the stress levels, and you will even make a better workplace.

2006-08-02T14:56:00.000+05:30

Technical Writing: What’s in it for me as a fresher?

Time and now, I have seen the message in most of the technical writers’ forums that “What is in it for the freshers who want to pursue a career in technical writing?” I would rather ask a question to the forum that what it will take a person to enter into the technical writing field, whether it is a fresher or an experienced person.

First, let us define technical writing with the perspective of the freshers.

Technical Writing or technical writers are people who communicate the information to the end users. These are the people who convert the technical or scientific information into a form that is easily understood by the user.

Next, what we need to define is the skills required for technical writing.

Moreover, the answer is that a graduate from any discipline (preferably in Arts) who has a flare of writing can become a technical writer. The key skills for becoming a technical writer are:

· Good communication skills (both written as well as spoken)
· Ability to learn or understand technical topics

Some companies even require engineers as technical writers to write for their scientific/technical documents.

Now, what are the skills required? Most of the time, I have seen messages that says the companies require some experience in tools as well. To be a successful technical writer, you need to have ability to think logically and organize various thoughts that needs to be presented to the user.

Is there any professional training available for technical writing?
There are not many institutes that teaches you technical writing. Technical Writing is learnt while on the job. However, there are few initiatives that beginning to rise from Society of Technical communication (STC), India Chapter to train the budding technical writers in an event to promote technical writing in India.

How do companies recruit technical writers?
Like other fields, in technical writing too, companies follow the similar recruitment process to recruit technical writers. Most companies conduct a written test that tests your knowledge of Basic English grammar, and it tests you ability to think logically. In addition, some companies also test your technical skills if the job requires you to develop technical/scientific documents. Once you clear the test, it is then followed by an oral interview (through phone or personally) generally by a Sr. Technical Writer or technical communication manager. Once the oral interview s cleared, it then proceeds to HR interview.

Now, finally, what about the salaries?

Technical Writing today is buzzword!
A fresher can easily take home an amount of 6000-7000 Rs per month as a technical writer. If you are living in the cities such as Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, or Hyderabad, then you are a LUCKY ONE. As these cities provide with the best opportunities for technical writers, and you could start your career with a heavy amount of 10,000-12,000 Rs per month. Moreover, as you gradually grow with 4-5 years of experience, you can easily take home up to an amount of 30-40K per month.

2006-07-17T10:23:00.000+05:30

Mumbai Serial Blasts: A destruction of humanity

BOOM! In one second there were series of blasts in 4-7 mumbai trains, and there was a massive destruction of humanity. People searching for their loved ones, praying for their long life; some even weeping after seeing the bodies..Its painful sight. It reminds of the twin blasts at 9/11 in USA and even before at the Mumbai bomb blasts few years back. Its a shame to the society, and destruction of humanity..kindness...The people involved in this series of blasts are not normal human beings; they are psychos'. They doesn't have any religion and nether do they operate for any religion. They have only god and that is "MONEY" and "POWER". For these two things, they can go to any extent; even kill each other..Forgetting that one day they will face the same fate in life..Government speaks of peace talks between the two nations; but wheres the peace?? Why are so may people being killed each day in the valley?? Why no country is not able to nab Osama Bin Laden like it did to Saddam Hussain? Why is it that a nation on one hand says that it is agains terrorism, and on the other hand backstabs and provides arms and ammunitions to the other groups...Its all because of one and only one thing...MONEY and POWER...these two are today's man's greatest friends and enemies too. As long as these remain in their minds, there will be continue to be blasts like ones that happend on 7/11...more disastrous than these..will come..Man has beome a social animal..thirsty of power and money..Its this thirst that thrives to gain more and more and more...its thirst never stops..it goes on and on and on.....like a wheel.

2006-05-30T16:13:00.000+05:30

Writing is a form of Art. It’s a way of imagination – imagining the users how they will feel while reading our content. When we write a document whether it is a user manual, system administrator guide or a training manual, it is meant to be read by several users. Therefore, we need to ensure that the reader is able to understand what we wanted to convey. In this event, we need to make every attempt in order to convey the message appropriately to the reader. To do this, ensure the following:

Always use Active sentences wherever applicable in your content because passive sentences make your content lengthy and a bit difficult to be understood.
Use positive statements instead of negative statements as the latter may tend to put a negative effect on the reader.
Use punctuation marks judiciously in your content. Sometimes, the appropriate use of punctuation marks also helps for better readability of the content.
Use the “TRIANGLE” or the “PYRAMID” approach to explain a concept to the reader. This approach helps you to introduce the concept first and proceed with the higher details of the concept.
It is always better to create an outline before you even start writing the content. It provides a broad idea of the way you will present the information to the readers.

2006-01-27T14:06:00.000+05:30

Secrets for Manifesting Your Heart's Desire

(Taken reference from Dr. Rebbie Straubing's course on relationships....)

There are few secrets in life that so simple that you may feel inclined to ignore them....but first lets get down to todays secret....

Secret 1: Focus on Uplifting Others

As you move through your work day, uplift everyone you come in contact with. Your mission is to have them feel better about themselves and life in general when they leave you than they did before they ran into you. So simple. So easy to do. And unbelievably powerful.

And what I love about this secret is that it is not only going to move you ahead with your boss or your employees or your co-workers or your clients, it also becomes a foundational part of your spiritual practice or what is called sadhana in yoga.

How?
Well, let's think about it. You are certainly going to run into a few people who are not your cup of tea. And yet, you will stay true to your commitment to uplift others. It will become an interesting challenge as you find that some people connect with Source Energy through different channels than others. (Did I forget to mention that being an uplifter does not mean using your might and your muscle to lift the spirit of others? It is simply the art of saying, or doing something, or simply being a certain way, that influences others toward releasing their resistance. When that happens their spirit lifts automatically.)

So all you really do as an uplifter is ease people in their moment. Smile, acknowledge, see the beauty in the other and you will uplift them. By making this effort to look beyond the person's resistance-worn appearance and see through to their beautiful soul, you cause them to vibrate sympathetically.

Suddenly they too are sensing their beautiful soul and pretty soon they feel pretty good. When you discover the art of having this effect on people, you are an uplifter. And you too are uplifted in the process.

Really, this is the best way to move ahead in your career, or build a private practice as a professional, or get a raise as a cashier. It doesn't matter where you are now or where you want to be. Simply apply this secret and you will move… fast.
Be an uplifter.

This is absolutely essential!

Reference taken from http://www.yofa.net/

2006-01-20T11:07:00.000+05:30

Why do People get angry sometimes....that is the question?

Sometimes, I feel why do people get angry...and that too at such petty things..Also, this includes me...as getting angry is not so good or infact it is not at all good. Getting angry can be harmful for your health....as well as it may cause a lot of mental trauma...it may also be a spoil-sport in your relationships..If we are not happy at something...then we tend to get angry and in that event shout like hell...and waste our energy..which is not good...instead we should conserve our energy to use it in some useful work...One should laugh as much as possible...Daily, if you laugh atleast 30 mins then you are using a lot of muscels...which keeps you fresh....I used to get angru very often but now I have atleast learnt how to control my anger...by either involving myself in some other work...or remaining calm...at very pressure situations...and also I practise Yoga...daily..in the morning and that gives me a lot of concentration...

2006-01-19T15:38:00.000+05:30

How good is your Manager?

What makes you a good manager? What are the most important qualities to be an effective manager?

Such questions must have crossed your mind if you are a manager or want to become an effective manager. Good managers do not necessarily make good leaders and good leaders do not necessarily make good managers. Below are few tips to become an effective manager:

Ability to communicate effectively:
Communication is the most important thing to be a good manager. It requires you to communicate with people at all levels such as client, peers, or subordinates. A good manager should be open and direct towards its team members.
Ability to provide a shared vision:
A good manager is described as having a vision of guiding the team members towards its direction and the ability to articulate that vision. It was once said that a “Good Manager is someone who lifts us up, gives us a reason for being and gives the vision and spirit to change."
Should have integrity:
A good manager is remembered more by his/her actions than words. Thus, it is the manager who sets an example for the team. A good manager demands dedication to, and expression of, moral practices. Also, a good manager should be able to creating standards for ethical behavior for oneself and living by these standards.
Should have a positive attitude:
A manager who has a negative attitude –may destroy the moral of team. . A good manager should have a positive attitude and should be filled with enthusiasm with a feeling of “We can do” attitude. A good manager with a positive attitude is committed to his/her goal express the commitment through optimism.
Must have team building skills:
Above all, a good manager must have effective team-building skills which mean that manager must be able hold the team together in a common purpose toward the right objective. A good manager must be bale to transform a group of strangers to a single cohesive unit. In addition, a good manager must understand the process and dynamics required for this transformation. A good manager must also have understanding of different team players styles and how to capitalize on each of these styles at the appropriate time.
Should have effective problem-solving skills:
Although a manager is said to share problem-solving responsibilities with the team; however, a good manager should have excellent problem-solving ability themselves.
Ability to remain calm under pressure:
In the typical IT scenario where projects would be delivered on time, under a fixed budget and with no major problems or obstacles to overcome; it is required for a manager to remain calm under pressure situations. A good manager when encounters a stressful event, considers it interesting, and feels he/she can influence the outcome and view it as an opportunity.

2006-01-19T15:29:00.000+05:30

Another good resource on writing user-friendly documents....

http://www.plainlanguage.gov/

2006-01-19T15:17:00.000+05:30

A good resource to find the Acronyms & Abbreviations....

http://www.acronymfinder.com/