INTERVIEW

In my profession I had to interview many candidates - students aspiring to  be Trainees, or some Engineers or Technicians seeking job in our company.

Interviewing is fun. Many different personalities to meet and gauge. Interviewer is at liberty to ask any damn question - he does not have to know the answer ! Poor candidates must know the answer.
Be careful, some candidates are smart - at the end of the interview they request you back to enlighten them by sharing the answer !

One of my fellow interviewer was once boasting of the number of projects he commissioned so on and so forth during the interview. A "smart" candidate (actually he was a dumb candidate .....) asked immediately " how many projects sir"   He genuinely wanted to know. My colleague stumbled and mumbled. He had actually commissioned one such project only  and was just bragging. Interview ended abruptly. 

There was one candidate whom I was querying. He was a technician with some experience. I started asking him few questions about an automatic level controls system of  a boiler. I asked him - " how does alarm control work " (i had expected him to explain the level switch etc etc...) . He paused for a minute - and he started revolving his right index finger and loudly said " Toiii, Toyyyyyeeeeee , Toyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... " Hilarious. The candidate was selected and proved to be a good technician. 

I later related this incident to 3 Idoits film, one of them answers as to how induction motor starts. 

Another candidate -  a fitter again with some experience - he came in side the room, sat on the chair leaning back, one leg up and looked very confident. He was stout with a thick moustache.
I asked him - "what does he do now, what was his job responsibility". He said in Hindi - My ek fitter hu, sab ko fit karke rakta hu" 

The interview ended abruptly almost. 

Tiny wonders of Nature

I took to photography some time ago. Invested in a camera and few sets of lenses.

Not that I am a pro, but certainly keen. I am a nature lover, capturing it through camera gives kind of happiness. 

Learning a new skill gives another dimension to the life, little away from routine. I just do it for my own sake, my own joy. 

I try to grab few tiny creatures of god, who created we human beings also. When you look at them through the lens  it takes you through a different world altogether. They are wonderful, different, rich in colours (may be rich in many other aspects than we humans probably .....) 

This one is a two tailed spider (hersilia ) spotted in my native place. Camouflaged nicely. Less than an inch, flat, resting probably.

This is a designer caterpillar (kind of Kambli hulu in Kannada) . Tiny - an inch or so, munching on "Huli soppu" (some kind of leave) . body full of hair, moustache, red white spots. I am sure it will be a wonderful butterfly in its next avataar. 

Malaysian nature walk

I visited Malaysia this year June for a week. Again a business trip. I had week end to spend. 

It is a very humid and tropical country. Full of lush green belt, gardens, trees galore. I like lush green forest. 

Good roads, no dust, disciplined traffic - felt good and bad at the same time. 

Why my country can not be clean, dust free, disciplined lot more ? 

Bird park, Butterfly park, orchid park........lake garden..................wow ! enjoyed.

Malay Eagle owl, looking ferocious

Stork ?

Ibis - many of them playing merrily in the pond. 

Black Naped Oriole

Some beautiful Orchid

Look at the Dragon fly - with thick wings

Many wonderful butterflies

Chill out in Februvary - with ardhaangi

In Feb this year, we (me and my wife) decided to chill out.

After weighing a lot of options, we chose Dharmashala. We managed to get a room booked through some friendly contact.

Landed at the hotel in the morning. The weather was cold, but good. Plan was to spend time in leisure, do some small trek, walk around and enjoy the time together. 

My wife is very choosy when it comes to walk. I like nature walk.

This time, she said - " I will also walk". Hurray - we set out on our small trek. We had enquired the route etc with the hotel manager. 

In the morning, we were to start - wife encountered the manager and demanded " where is the guide". Manager looked up & down and side ways. He was to just guide us about the route and not to arrange a guide. 

My wife some how forgave him for none his fault !

It was a good 6 to 8 km one way through hilly terrain. To my surprise my wife conquered the trek with out any fuss. She enjoyed too.

There were plenty of good places around. Snow capped mountain, cool weather, tea garden, cricket stadium. Believe me I had gone to Switzer land two weeks before, and i had not uploaded any picture, but uploaded pictures from Dharmashala. 

If we manage to some how, manage the waste (in pubic places, road or at least in tourist places) and become self sufficient in power & infrastructure, follow basic discipline -   India is no less to any developed country.

Expression love and affection.

This is a small international airport in Kharkiv in Ukraine. I was to fly to Kiev from here. As usual I started roaming around to kill the time and watch people. 

We Indians do not show our love and affection to our family members or friend in public. In private - what happens god only knows.

Europeans in sharp contrast they express their love and affection thoroughly in public. Hugging, kissing, cuddling their loved one, kid, wife, husband, boy friend, girl friend, mom, dad......... 

I was standing out side the arrival gate (since it was a small airport both arrival and departure gate were in same place) watching people. As the planes arrived, people started coming out from the gate. 

The kid you see in the picture with her mom waiting for the dad I presumed. Moment she saw her dad, she spontaneously rushed, hugged him and he took her in his arms, and the wife joined them. It was such a touching feel. All the people waiting outside did almost same with their loved ones as they arrived. 

In north India younger ones, touch the feet of the elders (pai lagoo....) and occasional hug. Some ladies do hug but it is visibly a drama. 

 In south we grin at each other at most. Or a hand shake. 

I am not saying west is right. It is just my observation.  My son does not like we hug him. My wife ....?!

We live in Gurgaon - elite so called elite urban area. Lot of malls and young crowd. West is here, no doubt. Things are changing in India though.  

When I with my wife go for shopping, some times we need to walk up the escalator, initially wife hesitated to hop in and needed my hand holding. I thoroughly enjoyed it since it is the only time i could hold my wife's hand in public, other than in marriage ceremony 22 years back. 

Now she got used to the escalators, alas.... no more hand holding.............

Morning in Ukraine

This is a sequel to my previous post on Ukraine.

I stayed in the company guest house. Could not get a weekend. But i decided to move around some how.

I normally run or walk once a day. Most of the days in the week. 

The weather was very good. The day was long from 4 in the morning to 8 in the evening.  I found a nearby park. I like to spend time with nature, particularly lush green, natural forest. I try to capture the moments in my camera.

 I also moved around a bit where we stayed in Kiev before I flew back home. 

Look at few wonders of nature, so smooth, so soothing, wonderful..

Beautiful cute looking tiny white wonder.

Pink one from a thorny bush.

 There were many fruit trees in the area, probably grow naturally. Peach, Pear, plum, cherry.... oh many.......look at the lonely red.

 This is place where we stayed in kiev though this is not a natural one, but looked good, attractive.

 This cat was so friendly, readily came up on my lap, no hesitation. Cute one. 

This one from plane while landing in Vienna. Looked like grand linen patch.

Ukraine visit - flight mess

I visited Ukraine before last week (5th July to 12th July 2014 to be precise.) It was a business visit. 

It was quite delayed visit due to the politically unsafe situation. Finally after many clearances, the visit was through.

If the visit is week long, i usually try to get one week end during which i move around with my camera.  

Kharikiv was the place of my visit. The place has small international airport. 

I try to do some research about the country or place normally. The local currency and its exchange rate - to USD and / or Indian currency - most important. 

The local currency name is "hryvnia" striking resemblance to sanskrit word Hiranya means gold. I felt connected. Sanskrit somehow energises me in what ever form even in its remotest link. 

Flight timing is some times confusing. I had asked for ticket on 5th (evening i meant).Ticketing is done by our travel desk. They promptly booked me on 5th early morning means 4th mid night ! I fortunately noticed it on 4th afternoon the Friday evening in the office. Rescheduling was ruled out. I rushed back home to pack. 

Flight time was 0035 hrs. I reached and settled down in business lounge holding a book actually watching people around, pausing in between. 

Watching people candidly is a good passtime. Many different people, many different behaviour, actions. These days hardly any one is with out tabs and PDA, smart phones - people really get engrossed so much. 

I in between tried to view foot ball match. I do not follow foot ball regularly though. Just it was world cup time and hence curiosity. My son is a serious follower and plays well too.
I do not follow any game that way. I am good at playing almost any game !

I Watch the game if I find it exciting and enjoy the moment.

Time to hit the boarding gate - moved to gate number 10 ( i think..). Already a large group was waiting to board. Just then there was an announcement  that the flight was delayed by two and half hours. Oh ho..... I looked around, found a reclining chair, put on alarm on my smart phone for two and half hour and slept. Announcement again - delayed further, this announcement went on three four times up to 0630 in the morning. 

The duty officer and two girls on duty sheepishly announced that the flight is cancelled.  Flight cancellation after you have taken the boarding card and reached the boarding gate is big mess. It is a real mess. All the "guests" became normal passengers all of a sudden. Mob gathered around the poor duty officer and the two girls on duty who had no energy in them. 

People simultaneously started arguing with them. The reason was " the brake failure". So safety clearance was not given to fly the plane.  It was a flight to Vienna and hence it was sure a connecting flight to a different destination for different people. For me too. I was safe, since i did not have anything to do next day. It was by mistake I was flying a day before. But for many it was a problem. A group of 18 were on a marriage trip. They were busy discussing their next plan. Three "Sardaars" lost their temper and started shouting at in chaste Punjabi. There were many foreign passengers.  They had no clue whatsoever in the me-lee.  A lady in her thirties was shouting, she was to catch a flight to Madrid and then to Barcelona to make a presentation. She vociferously asked the duty officer that who was now going to do the presentation !

Duty officer had no energy to face the mob, two girls had already vanished from the scene. He some how managed to get his boss ( I thought so...) to face the mob. By the time it dawned on to the mob that the flight has been really cancelled. So.......... what next ? 

People were also tired by now, wanted to hear what next. The new duty officer announced that there will be a bus that will take the passengers to a hotel and rebooking of next available flight will be informed accordingly.  Those who do not want to go to hotel can go back home and will be informed about the booking for next available flight. A foreigner said loudly " Yes I want to go home, Stockholm"  He said. 

I was greedy and asked why not bus for us those who want to go back home. Exasperated he showed me the board showing " Pre paid taxi Booth". I was not serious in asking for the bus, but wanted to test his patience. 

But the baggage ??? Oh it was another exercise. Reaching arrival area from departure is not easy. It involves many security measure (they took care of it...). I collected the baggage, took a cab and came back home. Wife gave a me rude look. Explained to her over the morning breakfast, which she had not planned. ( i was not to be there for the breakfast you see...) 

I flew back next day same flight same time.