Who’s problem is it anyway?

Life is full of problems and we are constantly in search for solving these problems. Each problem that we encounter seems bigger than the other and it really puts us under enormous pressure and stress.

Of late I have started telling people in my conversations “it is not your problem but actually it is my problem”. Even yesterday during a google chat my close friend Sam said something and I immediately replied “adigaprasangithanam”. He did not like that and immediately said “what is the bloody adigaprasangithanam in this”. I could see his anger and frustration. I immediately ended the chat conversation by saying “I apologise, I am sorry”. When I sat back and thought about the chat conversation I realized that what he did was right in his own way and opinion. It was not his problem but it was my problem because I felt he has over-stepped and also commented on it. Even if I had felt that he has over-stepped I could have kept quite.

I remember almost 20 years ago we were all sitting in Mylapore Club and Sam told my then “Godfather” “Sir, Anand is really good in problem solving and I think he should write a book on “How to solve problems”. My Ex-Godfather immediately said “You are very correct Murthy, but I feel most of the problems that Anand is facing are created by him and may be he should firstwrite a book “How to create problems” and then write “How to solve problems”. Everybody had a good laugh except me. These comments really got etched in my brain.

While I was excited with the idea of writing two different books I thought I had a long way to go before I could even try and attempt a small article on the subject.

Last 20 years I have been facing problems – at work, at home, with friends, in traffic, etc., and on many occasions I have been successful in finding the right solution because I ask the question to myself “is this my problem and am I responsible for creating the problem”.

I have still not learned enough in life to be in a position to write those two books. I thought I should atleast attempt at an article covering – What is a Problem? Whose problem is it? Why are we trying to solve it? How to solve it? How to ensure that it does not recur again?

What is a Problem? It refers to a situation, condition, or issue that is yet unresolved. In a broad sense, a problem exists when an individual becomes aware of a significant difference between what actually is and what is desired. In other words, problem is a gap between an actual and desired situation. If the desire or expectation is set by us then it is squarely our problem and not that ofthe other person(s).

Whose problem is it? I sent an SMS and expected a reply for the same. I did not get any reply and later in the day when I spoke to that person I asked “did you see my SMS this morning”. The answer was “Yes but sorry I could not reply as I was busy with so many other issues”. I quickly said “don’t feel sorry. It is not your problem. It is my problem because I expected a reply and did not inform you that I will be waiting for a reply”.

On many occasions we would find that the Problem is ours and not that of the other person with whom we are dealing. If the problem is ours then we should only solve it. The easiest way to solve problems is to analyse and see what is the desire or expectation. In my experience I have found that on most issues if we lower our expectation then we will have a good problem to deal with. If our desire or expectation is higher we have a difficult problem to deal with.

Why are we trying to solve it? There is a burning desire in every one of us to achieve what we have aspired for. There is a constant quest for something new or something better or something more. This leads to the desire and the expectation. An ant has been living the same way for the last 2000 years but an aunt or any human being for that matter has not been living the same way for even 20 years. As human beings we keep growing desires and expectations. The growing desire will always leave us with a gap in the actual situation as against what we desire or expect. This brings us to the need for finding a solution to the problem.

How to solve a problem? The easiest way to solve a problem is to understand the gap between the actual situation and the desired situation. Analyse how this gap can be addressed and whether there is an immediate fix or not. We could also look at a correction on the desired situation so that the gap is reduced significantly. In my experience I have found that if we put ourselves “in the shoes of the other person” half the battle is won. There are several ways of solving a problem and given the situation we should try and find the best possible solution which is a “Win Win” for both the parties.

Last year I had an urgent need for money and I decided to close my Recurring Deposit Account with the Bank. I walked up to the Officer concerned in Indian Overseas Bank and said “I want to close my R.D. Account”. He asked me “Sir how much money you need”. I got terribly irritated at this question (though I did not show my irritation). He continued “You have R.D. for 18 months and you have already paid monthly instalments for 12 months. If you need some money for urgent needs why don’t you take a loan against the R.D.” I kicked myself and said why did I not think about it this way.

Sometimes it makes sense to look at the problem as our own and then try to find a solution.

How to ensure that it does not recur again? I have heard people say “human memory is very short lived”. I do not agree with this as I feel Human Memory is phenomenal and on many occasions the memory fails due to our own “selective amnesia”. Whenever we find a solution to a problem it is better to review the situation and register the same in our mind. This will help us to avoid such problems in future and thus prevent it from recurring. Having said that I have faced problems which have repeated and on analysis found that it was my own carelessness or forgetfulness which has led to the problem recurring for the second time.

Life is a long journey and with the present technology it is not very difficult to keep track of the problems and the solutions. I am thinking of recording the various problems that I have faced and the solutions that I have found. It will be interesting to also review those solutions now to see if there could be any improvement or improvisation.

Hindsight is always 20:20

T.P.Anand, Dubai, U.A.E

11th February 2010

Building a Home

Building a Home is a dream for every one of us. It is not easy to build or buy your own home. It calls for a lot of planning and effort. The financial outlay, future commitment for the housing loan, location of the home, layout, interiors and many more things have to be carefully planned and executed.

In tamil there is a saying "Kalyanam panni paar, Veettai katti paar". Perform a Marriage and build a house. Both these are very tough jobs and requires a lot of money, lot of planning, lot of effort and lot of support from the near and dear. I have gone through the experience of both - performing marriage and also building a house and hence I know how difficult it is.

Home is built for us to live for the rest of our life and there are homes where several generations have lived. The Home is built over a period of 2 years and the financial commitment keeps us busy for 15 to 20 years. Finally the Home is there for more than 100 years for us to live.

Today, 24th April 2011 is a very important day for N.S.Raghavan and Sarasija Raghavan as they perform the Grahapravesam of their new home in the City of Chandler, Arizona State in the USA.

I congratulate this young couple on buying their own home and wish them all the very best. Let the new home bring you both lots and lots of happiness and prosperity.

Dear Raghavan & Sarasija "Today you have achieved something in life and can feel proud of it. We wish you all the very best" - T.P.Anand & Family

My Little Hut

A Hut is a thatched roof built with casurina poles and branches of coconut tree. This is a typical poor peoples home that can be seen everywhere in India.

When I was a student, pursuing Chartered Accountancy (CA) I requested my father to build a Hut for myself on the terrace of our house in Triplicane (No.13 Thandavarayan Street). My father obliged immediately and a beautiful hut was built the same week at a cost of Rs.2,400/- in 1985.

For nearly five years I used to spend my time in the Hut whenever I am at home. I used to go to the ground floor only for taking bath in the morning. My mother used to bring my breakfast, lunch and dinner to the hut. She will mix the Sambar Rice, Rasam Rice and Curd Rice and bring them to the hut.

My friends started visiting the Hut and started liking the cool ambiance in the Hut. The thatched roof with coconut tree leaves will make the room cool even during summer.

I had a big cupboard full of books for C.A. My friends started coming everyday for group study. We also had open space outside the hut in the terrace and the entire terrace space of 980 square feet was used by me and my friends for group study for CA. The daily visitors were Sathyamurthy, Sriram, Arvind, Ranganathan and there were occasional visitors like Sridhar, Margabandhu (I hope I have not missed out any names here). We also had some sudden visitors who used to come to check what we were all doing.

On seeing the regular crowd of students studying day and night, my mother started making murukku, thattai, seedai, etc. We used to get regular supply of these eatables in large stainless steel canisters.

My second brother T.P.Ashok also joined the group as he was preparing for CAIIB Exams. My first brother T.P.Ravikumar's friend Venkatraman started coming to prepare for CAIIB and soon there was a group of CAIIB students in my hut (Venkatraman, Parameswaran, Ashok).

My hut was occupied all the 24 hours by students preparing either for CA or CAIIB and it was bustling with activity for nearly two years.

We used to stay awake in the night and prepare for the Exams. We used to go for a short walk and Tea in the night. The Tea break was usually around 1 a.m. and it was a wonderful experience. Triplicane being Bachelor's Paradise the tea shops and potti kadai used to be open till 3 a.m. and they will again resume business by 5 a.m. There was a grill gate and on entering the grill gate access to the first floor

I had two folding cot, extra beds, lot of pillows and mats in my Hut.

I had lot of books - for each subject I had atleast two or three different author books. I had all the publications released by the CA Institute.

We all used to study the subjects and have frequent discussions. There were individual study sessions as well as group study sessions. It was a very healthy atmosphere.

In addition to the eatables made at home by my mother we also used to frequently prepare our own recipe. We used to buy arisi pori and mix avakkai pickle in it. We used to buy Watermelon and make fresh juice.

My father built a proper room (with cement sheet roof) at the rear end of the terrace with a small kitchen and Arvind used to stay in this portion. Whenever we needed money to buy Watermelon or Arisi Pori or other needs of the group we used to take the money from Arvind's purse. He used to get money from his father every month and we had regular supply of funds for all petty expenses from Arvind. We used to call him "Periappa".

It was close to two years that we all spent our lives in that little Hut to qualify as Chartered Accountants and my brother and his group qualified as Professional Bankers. A large group has benefited by studying in that little hut (poor man's dwelling). Thanks to the support of my family.

We have had several meetings and discussions in the Hut for social activities as most of us were also part of the Rotaract Movement at that time.

I continued to use the Hut after I qualified as a Chartered Accountant. I had my office in that Hut. My clients used to appreciate the place as it was a cool office with a nice natural ambiance.

Till I left for employment in Singapore in October 1990 I have used the Hut as my full time abode. Those five years that I spent in the Hut are truly amazing, fulfilling years which I will cherish for ever during this lifetime.

The years that I spent in my Little Hut were really memorable years. It was full of activity, fun, learning. Very Interesting, educative and truly enjoyable period of my life.

My little Hut existed till 1991 almost six years. It was dismantled after I migrated to Singapore.

I would appreciate if my friends can add their experiences in this blog.

T.P.Anand, Dubai, 21st April 2011

Typewriting

Typewriting is a skill that was very useful to get Government Jobs about 30 years back. In Chennai there were so many typewriting institutes particularly in places like Triplicane, Mylapore and Mambalam.

As soon as the SSLC exams are over the boys and girls used to join for Typewriting classes. There used to be very good crowd in some of the Typewriting Institutes and there used to be some batches for which they would have a waitlist. Lot of young boys and girls used to find their first “affair” in these typewriting institutes.

Srinivas Typewriting Institute was very famous in Triplicane those days. Lot of good looking girls learnt typewriting in that Institute and hence there were lot of boys who went and joined there. They used to have exclusive girls batch so that the girls from conservative families can join.

I learnt typewriting in “Ceevees Institute” in Triplicane High Road. It was far away from my house but I still joined there because few of my friends joined in that Institute.

As a skill “Typewriting” was useful those days as it would get the person an entry level job in the Government Sector “Clerk cum Typist”. I do not know if the position of a “Typist” exists in any organization as every one needs to do their own typing – whether it is in the form of an email or a letter.

It was difficult to do the typewriting in those machines as one had to press the key very hard to get the impression on the paper. Sometimes several keys will go and get stuck at the centre. The machine will not be serviced properly and it used to be a struggle to get a change of seat. Godrej, Remington and Halda were the most popular brand typewriting machines.

I joined for typewriting classes immediately after my X Standard Exams in 1978. I quite liked the experience of learning typewriting as my father and brothers also had acquired that skill. I passed “Lower” grade and “Higher” grade. I was ready to go for “High Speed” but due to my other commitments I did not appear for the exams. After my XII standard exams when I thought of doing CA to become a Chartered Accountant I was wondering if the typewriting was a waste of an effort. Little did I realise at that time that I will be using the typewriting skills on a daily basis.

With the advent of the computers the typewriting skill has become very useful in the day to day life. Those who do not have the typewriting skills struggle to compose their own emails and letters. The younger generation today has developed the skill of using two or three fingers and still manage a decent speed. Nothing to beat the speed which a person gets with the typewriting skill on the keyboard. The advantage of using the keyboard of a computer is that it is very smooth and no need to depress the keys like we used to do on a normal typewriting machine.

I am very grateful to my parents for having sent me for the typewriting classes in those days. It has proved to be immensely useful and helpful over the years as I am using a computer at work all the time from morning to evening. I was a “Job Typist” for a while and made a decent living out of that using my old “Underwood” Typewriter. After becoming a Chartered Accountant I have always been using a Computer or a Laptop and the typewriting skills have certainly helped all through the life so far.

When we learn certain skills, we tend to feel bad that those skills are not useful anymore due to the technological changes. For instance many of my friends who learnt “short hand” in those days are no longer using the short hand. There is self correspondence and even in case of dictation needs today there are Dictaphones and even voice recognition systems on computers which takes care of the work.

The change in technology and developments over the years however, has been such that the “typewriting” skills are still very useful. Cycling, Car Driving, Swimming, Cooking are some such skills which will always come in handy even with the technological advancements and changes.

There are some websites which teach the typewriting skills and it is indeed very useful as the normal key board is not only seen in Computers, Laptops but they are also now entering the Mobile Phones space.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
5th August 2010

Bed time stories

I do not recall any of the bed time stories told to me when I was a kid. Till my sister’s daughter was born I did not even think that there could be story books for the kids. In 1982 when I joined for CA Articleship I went to a book publishing house for audit and that was the first time I saw so many story books meant for children. I used to buy those story books for my niece Kavita. She used to enjoy looking at the pictures in the story books and my sister used to read the stories for her.

In 1990 when my twin sons were born I again started buying the story books. As small little boys they used to enjoy the stories and the way I read the stories from the book. I used to add my own masala at times. I still remember some of the stories like Pinnochio; Little Red Riding hood; Jack and the Beanstalk; Chip and Dale; Cindrella; Snow White and 7 Dwarfs; Dark Wing Duck And Clean Money; etc. I used to read the stories with a little music added to it. Even the title of the story will be told by me in a musical tone. I used to read “Dark wing Duck and CleanMoney” and follow it up with “Ting Tung Ting Tung Ting ting Ting”.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story books for my little kids and I was myself reading them for the first time in my life. I used to also tell my own stories of animals, aliens, cartoon characters like Micky, Donald, Goofy etc. One day my elder son prompted me to tell a new story and he also put a condition saying it should not have any animals or cartoon characters. I immediately started the story of “Three Friends” and my kids were immediately asking me what their names. As I am faced with a tough choice of not using
animals and cartoon character I thought for a second and said “Chocolate, Biscuit and Ice Cream”. They were both excited and started clapping their hands.

I narrated the story:
========================================

Chocolate, Biscuit and Ice Cream are very good friends and they always enjoyed playing games and used to spend their time always together. One day it was raining heavily and Biscuit wanted to go and play in the rain. His mother told him it is risky to play in the rain and he might get fully drenched in rain water and loose his identity. Biscuit did not listen to hismother and still went ahead to play in the rain. Very soon Biscuit got drenched in the rain and started to loose his identity. Chocolate and Ice Cream quickly gathered Biscuit and put him in a Microwave Oven. Biscuit regained his original shape and identity. The three friends stayed indoors and enjoyed their day.

Another day it was very sunny and hot and Ice Cream wanted to go and play in the Sun. His mother told him that if he goes out and plays in the sun he will melt. Ice Cream did not listen to his mother and went ahead to play in the hot sun. When he was about to melt his friends Chocolate and Biscuit quickly brought him back to the house and kept him in the Freezer section of the Fridge. Ice Cream regained his original shape and
identity.

Chocolate told his friends that they both have faced problems only because they did not listen to the advice of the elders. The “Three Friends” decided that they will always listen to their elders.

Moral of the Story: You must listen to what you parents tell you.
=========================================
My kids enjoyed this story so much that they used to ask me tell this story every night. I thoroughly enjoyed telling Bed Time Stories to my children until they were able to start reading on their own. I still fondly remember the nights when I used to read the story from the books and also tell my own story. I had a tough time making them to sleep as they used to keep asking for more stories from me. Every kid will enjoy Bed Time
Stories and every parent would be thrilled to tell the Bed Time Stores to their child.

At the end of every story I used to tell them “Moral of the Story”. When I repeat the story the next time I used to ask them what is the “Moral of the Story”. I always used to ask them “did you like the story” and they will say in chorus “yes”. The next day or within few days if they ask me to repeat a story then I know they like it very much.

Some stories when I try to repeat on my own they would say no and then I used to get the message that they don’t like that story. My objective was to instill good moral values in them and hence I always used to tell them stories which had a good moral value. I never used to tell any scary stories or horror stories as I was myself scared of such things.

Bed Time Stories are relished and enjoyed by the kids but the moral value that goes with it should get deeply etched in their minds. When that happens then the kids will grow up with such good moral values. I feel “Bed Time Stories” are of “Life Time Value”.

T.P.Anand, Dubai, U.A.E.
24th June 2010

TENDULKAR - THE CENTURION

Cricket world has brought up so many legends and greats. I have been watching cricket for more than three decades. During my childhood days there were several greats and at that time Sunil Gavaskar and G.R.Viswanath were ruling the Cricketing world along with the Spin Trio of Bedi, Chandra and Prasanna.

Tendulkar came into the Cricket world as an International Player in 1989 and over the last 22 years he has been playing so well that he will be for ever remembered as the greatest batsman in the world.

He is still hungry for runs and especially for Centuries. I watched him get the first 100 in IPL today against Cochin Tuskers. What an innings he played from the word go. He clearly dominated the match and one would wonder how a cricketer at the age of 38 could be so hungry for runs. He scores centuries in Test Cricket, One Day Internation and T 20.

The way he plays I wonder if he really needs a cricket bat. Even if he is given a walking stick i think he can play well and score a century.

I cannot think of any other cricketer in the world who is so hungry for runs and centuries. There is none who can be compared with Tendulkar. He is truly a master blaster and the greatest batsman to be ever seen in Cricket World. He would also remain the greatest Centurion for scoring century in every form of cricket and in every cricketing nation.

I salute this great player and wish him all the best to go on for another ten years.

55th Anniversary

My Parents Shri.T.R.Parthasarathy and Smt.Pushpa Parthasarathy are celebrating their 55th Wedding Anniversary today. They got married on 15th April 1956 and have been living a glorious life.

I am very proud and happy to have been born to this wonderful couple.

I pray to God to give them a long life and wish them many more happy returns of the day.

T P Anand’s Vehicles

1. Hero Cycle
2. TVS 50 XL
3. Enfield Silver Plus
4. Kinetic Honda
5. Bajaj Scooter
6. Maruti Omni Van
7. TVS Scooty
8. Maruti Esteem
9. Hyundai Santro
10. Honda Legend
11. Toyota Innova
12. Nissan Altima

This is the list of vehicles that I have possessed in my life so far in chronological order.

I have taken delivery of Nissan Altima last week which is the 12th Vehicle that I have possessed.

I have been fascinated by Vehicles right from my childhood. I used to keenly watch the vehicles that pass by in the street which was a rare sight as most of the time I used to see people going by walk in my street (Car Street in Triplicane, Chennai).

Those days there used to be Bicycle (Hercules, Hero, BSA); Motorcycle (Java; Enfield; Rajdoot) Scooters (Lambretta; Vespa) Cars (Fiat, Ambassador) Jeeps (Willys) and Lorry. When I was 10 years old I learnt to ride a bicycle. Those days you could hire a bicycle for 30 minutes by paying 25 paise. Myself and my second brother Ashok both learnt to ride a bicycle at the same time. We used to hire the cycle at the same time and go for a ride in Car Street and Singarachary Street. I once went ahead of my brother in my cycle and went close to his bicycle and made a small impact on his front wheel with my back wheel. He fell on the side and hurt himself badly and when I turned back to look at what I had done I felt very very bad. This incident is etched very clearly in my mind for the last 36 years and I feel very bad that I caused the accident and injured my brother.

From time to time I used to get a free ride on my friend’s bicycle and I quite liked the green colour bicycle with the battery operated horn and the dynamo light. Every time I borrowed the cycle from my friend I used to think of owning a bicycle someday.

From taking bicycle on hire I graduated to owning a bicycle in 1981 because of the need for a bicycle. I used to enjoy riding the bicycle. I have travelled extensively in Chennai on my bicycle covering long distances on daily basis.

In 1986 I bought TVS – 50 XL and drove the vehicle to my house from the dealer outlet. I felt like flying when I was riding on the TVS 50 XL. After cycling for so long this was a wonderful feeling.

When I was working for Sterling Resorts I bought Enfield Siver Plus in 1988.

Kinetic Honda (1989) was the most comfortable two wheeler that I have experienced and the most uncomfortable experience was with the Bajaj Scooter (1994) as I used to always struggle to change the gear.

I learnt driving a Car in Bangalore in Mani Driving School. My first Car was a Maruti Omni Van (1995). This vehicle had a large boot and my children used to always occupy the boot. It was very spacious for them to sit and play with their G.I. Joe characters. I enjoyed driving this vehicle particularly the rides between Bangalore and Chennai via Chittoor.

When I left TTK and went back to Chennai to re-start my professional practice I could afford only a TVS Scooty. For a brief period I took a Maruti 800 Deluxe (1998) on lease from a client of mine. I met with a majoraccident near Tindivanam on this car and my wife was very badly injured. We were lucky to escape alive from this accident. After 12 years this accident is still green in my memory and everytime I think of this accident I feel the shivering in my body.

I then graduated to Maruti Esteem (2000) when I took up a job in Chennai with a Software Company. Of the three Maruti Suzuki Cars that I have used I would rate this as the most comfortable Car.

While I was in Dubai there was a need for a Car back home in Chennai for my wife and Children and we jointly chose Hyundai Santro (2005). A very compact and nice car which is still being used at Chennai by my children. I enjoy driving this car whenever I am in Chennai as it is very easy to navigate.

The best car of my life came my way in Dubai – Honda Legend (2006). It is a top class luxury car with very powerful engine. I was fascinated by this Car as it had sun roof; large bucket seats in the front; big seats in the rear with reclining facility and ample leg room. I drove the car to Oman and travelled close to 1700 Kms in less than 3 days.

When I took up employment in Chennai after taking a break from Dubai I bought Toyota Innova (2008). Very smooth car and I enjoyed travelling all over Tamil Nadu in that Car for my pilgrimage tour in early 2009.

Having used Honda Legend and Toyota Innova I thought it is time to try a Nissan and that is how I decided to buy the Nissan Altima in 2010. I have driven this car only for a few days and it really feels good.

In this wonderful journey in life over the last 47 years I have also used another important vehicle – CA. My professional qualification (Chartered Accountancy) is the most important vehicle in my life which has transported me to different cities/countries, different situations, different positions and has given me all the learning and knowledge.

The Journey continues with the help of Vehicles…….

-T.P.Anand, Dubai, U.A.E.
4th April 2010

This year in March 2011 i opted for a trade-in promotion of Nissan and bought a Nissan X Terra in place of Altima.

iPAD Swap

There is an exciting deal of Foneswap wherein you can trade in your old iPAD to get the new iPAD2.

The prices offered by them on the old iPAD is really amazing and truly exciting.

iPad Model Trade-in Price-AED
16 GB wifi 650
16 GB wifi, 3G 1000
32 GB wifi 900
32 GB wifi 3G 1350
64 GB wifi 1175
64 GB wifi 3G 1700

visit the website of foneswap to know more about this exciting offer

www.foneswap.com/ipad2

SPB LIVE IN CONCERT - DUBAI

My favourite singer Dr.S.P.Balasubrahmanyam gave a live concert in Dubai on Friday, 8th April 2011 in the Indian High School.

It was really a great pleasure and rare honour to listen to this great singer live in concert. I have gone for many of his concerts in Chennai and this is my first experience of listening to him live in Dubai. I feel very privileged and blessed to have heard him live so many times in my life.

He sings with the same ease and comfort that he had 30 years ago. What an amazing performer and it is very hard to believe that he is going to turn 65 in another 2 months. At this age he sings so well and with ease because of God's blessings and gift.

The programme started at 8 p.m. and ended abruptly at 10.30 p.m. They were supposed to start the programme at 7 p.m. but delayed it by one hour. There was also some dance performance at the beginning and in the middle which was of no interest to any of the people who came for the concert. The organizer Mr.Denzil also took the centre stage for 40 minutes to distribute trophies and momentoes.

Ananthu started with the great Yesudas hit "Amma Endrazhaikkatha uyirillaye". He sang very well. He is a very good singer and has done the Vijay Hit recently "Puli Urumuthu" in Vettaikkaran.

SPB then came up to sing the evergreen favourite of all Indians "Shankaraa" from Shankarabaranam. God has really gifted him with a wonderful voice and at the age of 64 he is still able to sing the song with so much ease and perfection.

SPB and his sister S.P.Shailaja sang the next song "Andhi Mazhai Pozhigirathu" from Raja Parvai.

This being a multi-lingual evening the next song was sung by Nikhil and Mrs.Meenakshi in Malayalam.

SPB then came up with his super hit Hindi Song "Mere Rangme Rangne wali".

The Hindi hit song was followed by a Kannada Song by SPB and S.P.Shailaja "Jothiyalle" which is the kannada version of the hit tamil song "vizhiyile oru vizhiyil mouna mozhi pesum annam".


Ananthu and Mrs.Meenakshi sang the next song "Kangal Irandaal un kangal irandaal" which is composed by James Vasanthan (I think this song is inspired by the Balamurali hit "Chinna Kannan Azhaikiraan).

SPB and Ranjani then sang on Malayalam song.

The Orchestra of Suresh (very good tabla player) did a very good job.

SPB looked at Suresh and said "ore tension a irukku". He then sang the tamil hit "mannil intha kaathal andri yaarum vaazhthal koodumo". After singing this song he said they did some gimmicks to record the song and he has not sung the song without taking breath. He said even while singing in the stage he took breath in between and it is not possible to sing such a long charanam without taking breath in between.

SPB then sang a song in "Thulu" language.

Nikhil then performed the famous Hindi song "Masakkali masakkali".

SPB and S.P.Shailaja then performed the "Saagara Sangammam" song in Telugu. The tamil version in Salangai Oli is "Vetham anuthinam oru naadam". This is the climax song in the film and it is a very difficult song but for the great SPB it was child's play.

SPB then produced a Kannada Hit.

Ananthu came back to enthrall the audience with the Yesudas hit from His Highness Abdulla in Malayalam. Ananthu is assisting Shri.M.S.Viswanathan and is a very versatile and accomplished singer. I have heard him perform in Chennai in few concerts and he sings very well.

SPB & Mrs.Meenakshi then performed the Ilayaraja hit "Innum ennai enna seyya pogiraai anbe anbe" from Singaravelan. What a terrific composition by the great Raja.

SPB and Ranjani then did a melody of the great R.D.Burman in Hindi "Aaja mere jaanam".

Nikhil and Ananthu presented a Malayalam hit followed by a super hit in Telugu presented by SPB and S.P.Shailaja. The tamil version of this song is "madura marikozhundu vaasam".

SPB then gave the A.R.Rahman hit "Balle lakka" from the Rajini superhit film "Sivaji". This too is a very difficult song and can be performed only by the great genius SPB.

Nikhil and Ananthu then performed a Hindi song.

SPB came back on stage for the last time to sing his evergreen, ever popular song from Kaadal Oviyam "Sangeetha jaathi mullai kaana villai".

Though it was not a well organised event, it was indeed a pleasure to listen to the great SPB. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening listening to this living legend.

IS IT A PLEASURE TO WORK

Is it a pleasure to work? Do you enjoy your work? Are you happy to work? What will you do if you don't have work?

These are questions that I keep asking myself. Whether we work for a company or work at home or work for others it is important for us to enjoy the work and feel that it is a pleasure to work. Even a House Wife does lot of work from morning to night and she should also feel it is a pleasure to do the work at home and manage the household chores properly. "Pressure" is bound to be there is any work from time to time and it is up to the individual to handle the pressure in a nice way. With the occasional pressure, the overall work, should always be a pleasure.

While it should be a pleasure for us to work we should also ensure that it is equally pleasurable for people around us to work. If we are totally involved in the work and enjoy the work that we do then obviously it will be a pleasure to work. While doing the work we need to interact with others or work in a team and that is when we have to be more cautious as while we enjoy the work and involve ourselves in it, we have to also ensure that the others around us are equally interested in the work on hand and we have to carryon with the team despite differences in thinking, abilities and experience.

I visited the world's largest floating Book Fair. This is a vessel carrying 400 people (who work as volunteers) and the vessel has a huge book fair and keeps sailing from one country to another. The vessel had berthed in Dubai for few days and I visited the vessel. They had a cultural night in the vessel and the person who conducted the cultural explained about the different people who come from different parts of the world and work in the vessel for 2 years in various departments as volunteers. He said there is never a "right" or "wrong" as they realise there is a "different" way of doing things when they co-exist with different people.

When we work in a team or group we have to realise that people are different and hence we have to be ready to see different ways of doing things. It calls for an open mind to accept people as they are and work towards the common goals. We have to demonstrate a high level of tolerance and absorption in order to co-exist in a team or group.

Respect all the team members and develop the art of listening to others. Listening to Others and respecting the views of others is a very important virtue that we have to develop in order to work in a team.

When we work in a team it is also important for us to present ourselves very clearly and set the expectations right. I have seen people giving a "larger than life" image of themselves and then end up struggling to meet with the demands of the job. By being humble, simple and straight forward we can achieve lot more than what we could do otherwise by being "smart".

I feel "work is worship" and we have to not only enjoy doing the work but we should also always bear in mind that we do our best at the given work.

One of the key factors to excel at work is to have a clear divide between the personal and official life. I have never carried work to the home and same way I have never carried my personal work into office. It is extremely important to compartmentalise our day, diary and thinking. While we are at work, we should not think about personal matters and similarly while we are at home we should not think about work. This work - life balance is very important for us to achieve success and enjoy both a healthy work life and a personal life. I have seen people engaging in personal phone calls when they are at work. After going home these people also engage in official calls for several minutes. Both are bad in my opinion.

People who enjoy their work and also treat the people around them well are always found to excel in their work. If a Housewife enjoys her work in the Kitchen, the food will certainly taste lot better. Same way if a person at office enjoys the work he does his/her output will be far better.

The following are the key success factors to make it a pleasure to work:

1. Understand the work, your role and the objectives
2. Understand the needs of the team and what the other members of the team are doing
3. Appreciate the work done by others and recognise the contribution made by others
4. Do not present a much higher or larger image of yourself or your capabilities
5. Set the expectations right
6. Be diligent and ensure that the work is done with appropriate planning
7. Be proactive at work and try to pre-empt situations
8. Try to be ahead of the curve at all times
9. Do not mix personal life with official life
10. Do not take more than what you can achieve in a day
11. Do not crack under pressure
12. Always look for improvements and betterment
13. Plan your day and review the plans from time to time
14. Provide time for unexpected work

Enjoy your work and enjoy life.

- T.P.Anand, Dubai, 7th April 2011

ஹங்கேரியில் ஒரு அக்ரஹாரம்

அழகான மணல் மேட்டில் அமைந்த ஒரு தெரு அதில் மிக அழகான ஓட்டு வீடுகள் எனக்கு பெரிய ஆச்சர்யம் நாம் ஐரோப்பாவில் இருக்கிறோமா அல்லது தமிழ் நாட்டில் இருக்கிறோமா?

2008 ல் என் மனைவி மற்றும் பிள்ளைகளுடன் நான் ஐரோப்பா சுற்றுபயணம் செய்தேன். நாங்கள் Paris, London, Manchester, Barcelona, Rome, Venice, Lucern என்று பல மேற்கு ஐரோப்பிய நகரங்களை சுற்றி பார்த்தோம்.

இந்த வருடம் கிழக்கு ஐரோப்பிய நாடுகளுக்கு செல்லலாம் என்று எனக்கு ஒரு ஆசை.

நாங்கள் வந்திருப்பது ஹங்கேரி நாட்டின் தலை நகரம் புடபெஸ்ட். Map இன் உதவி இருந்தாலும் வழி தேடி சென்றுகொண்டிருந்த நாங்கள் நால்வரும் எங்களையும் அறியாமல் இந்த மணல் மேட்டிற்கு வந்து இந்த அழகான தெருவில் நிற்கின்றோம்.

எல்லா வீடுகளும் கிட்டத்தட்ட ஒரே மாதிரி அமைந்துள்ள ஓட்டு வீடுகள். வாசலிலே பெரிய திண்ணை ஒவ்வொரு வீட்டு வாசலிலும் அழகான மாக்கோலம்.

எங்கும் நம் மக்கள்.

புடவை உடுத்திய அழகான (ஹ்ம்ம்ம்ம்) மாமிகள். வேஷ்டி உடுத்தி நெற்றியிலே பட்டை நாமம் போட்ட கட்டழகு மாமாக்கள்.

திண்ணையிலும், வீதியிலும் குஷியாகத் தாவி விளையாடிக் கொண்டிருக்கும் குழந்தைகள்.

நாங்கள் நால்வரும் ஆச்சர்யத்துடன் நடந்து செல்ல நான் என் பாட்டியை பார்க்கிறேன். என் அம்மாவின் அம்மா இந்த பாட்டி.

நான் ”ஹங்கேரியில் எப்படி நம் பாட்டி” என்ற ஆச்சரியத்தை கஷ்டப்பட்டு அடக்கிக்கொண்டு “என்ன பாட்டி எப்படி இருக்கே” என்றேன்.

“நான் நன்னா இருக்கேன் நீங்கள் எல்லாரும் சௌகியம்தானே”

“நாங்க நன்னா இருக்கோம் நீ எப்போ இந்த ஊருக்கு வந்தே”

பதில் சொல்லாமல், என் பாட்டி யாரையோ தேடினாள். பிறகு என்னை பார்த்து “செல்லப்பா, ராமு எல்லாரும் ஒண்ணா பொரப்டு வந்தோம். இந்த ஊர் பெருமாள் கோவில் உத்சவம் கொடி ஏறி மூணு நாள் ஆறது” என்று சொல்லிக்கொண்டே வலது பக்கம் திரும்பி “டேய் செல்லப்பா செத்த இங்க வா நம்ப ஆனந்து, ஹேமா, பசங்கல்லாம் வந்திருக்கா பாரு”.

நான் அசந்து போனேன். என் இரண்டு மாமாக்கள், என் பாட்டி எல்லோரும் இங்கே ஹங்கேரி நாட்டில் ஒரு அக்ரஹாரத்தில் என் முன்னே – இது என்ன கனவா?

“பாட்டி மெட்ராஸ் லேந்து எப்டி வந்திங்கோ எல்லாரும்”

“இதென்ன அசட்டு கேள்வி நாங்க எல்லாரும் பறக்கற வண்டில தான் வந்தோம். மெட்ராஸ்லேர்ந்து பொரப்டு டில்லி வந்தோம். அங்க வேற வண்டியில ஏறி எதோ ஒரு ஊர் வழியா இந்த ஊருக்கு வந்தோம்”

நான் இருபது வருடங்களாக பறந்த அனுபவத் திமிருடன் என் பாட்டியிடம் “டில்லிலேந்து நேரா இங்க வந்தியா இல்ல வேற ஊர் வழியாவா?”

என் பாட்டி என் இரண்டாவது மாமாவை பார்த்து “ஏன்டா ராமு நம்போ டில்லிலேந்து அந்த மசக்க ஊர் வழியாதானே வந்தோம்”

என் மாமா உடனே “அம்மா அது மசக்க இல்ல அந்த ஊர் பேரு மொஸ்கொவ்” என்றான்.

”இருடா காபி போட்டுண்டு வரேன்” “ராமு பால் வாய்ண்டு வா” என்று அவர்கள் சற்று நகர்ந்து செல்ல, நான் கொஞ்சம் காலாற நடக்கலாம் என்று நகர்ந்தேன்.

நான் என் மனைவியை பார்த்து “மெட்ராஸ் டு புடபெஸ்ட் அட்லீஸ்ட் ஒரு 40,000 rupees இருக்குமா Airfare” என்றேன்.

As usual “நமக்கு ஏன் அந்த கவலை” என்றாள்.

நான் யோசித்தேன் – இவர்கள் அத்தனை பேரும் சென்னயில் இருந்து எவ்வளவு தூரம் பயணம் செய்து இங்கே வந்திருகிறார்கள். என்ன ஆச்சர்யம்.

கிட்டத்தட்ட நூறு குடும்பங்கள் வாழும் ஒரு அழகான அக்ரஹாரம், மணல் மேடு, மண் வாசனை, கோலங்களுடன் வாசல், திண்ணைவுள்ள ஓட்டு வீடுகள், தெருக் கோடியில் பெரிய கோவில் அங்கிருந்து ஒரு சிறு தொலைவில் நவீனமான மக்கள் புழங்கும் ஐரோப்பா நகரம்.

நாங்கள் கோவிலுக்கு சென்றோம். மிக நல்ல தரிசனம். கோவில் வாசலை அடைந்தால் இன்னும் ஒரு ஆச்சரியம் காத்திருந்தது.

என் இரண்டாம் சகோதரன் அசோக்தான் அங்கே நிற்கிறான்.

அவன் என்னை பார்த்து “வாடா ஆனந்த் எப்பிடி இருக்கே”

கிட்டத்தட்ட அதிர்ச்சி கலந்த ஆச்சர்யத்துடன் “நீ எப்போ வந்தே” என்றேன்.

என் சகோதரன் “நான், விஜி, அனிருத் மூவரும் வந்து மூணு நாள் ஆகறது. இந்த கோவில் உத்சவம் பார்க்க வந்தோம் நல்ல வேளை பார்த்தசாரதி கோவில் உத்சவம் முடிஞ்சதுக்கு அப்புறம் இந்த கோவில் உத்சவம் வந்தது சவுரியமா போச்சு, பாட்டியாத்துல தான் தங்கியிருக்கோம்” என்றான்.

”இப்போதாண்டா பாத்தேன்; காபி போட்டுத் தரேன்னு சொன்னா. ராமு பால் வாங்கப் போயிருக்கான், அதுக்குள்ள பெருமாள் சேவிக்க வந்தேன்”

நாங்கள் நால்வரும் அந்த தெருவில் ஒரு வீட்டிற்கு சென்றோம் – யாரோ தெரியவில்லை அனால் நல்ல மனிதர்கள் எங்களுக்கு சாப்பாடு போட்டு இளைப்பாற இடமும் கொடுத்தார்கள். என் பிள்ளைகள் இருவரும் அந்த வீட்டு பிள்ளைகளுடன் விளையாட சென்றனர். நான் உண்ட களைப்பில் சற்று கண் மூடி ரெஸ்ட் எடுத்தேன்.

தூங்கி எழுந்தால் தெருவில் ஒரே கூச்சல் கும்மாளம் நல்ல மாலை பொழுது அமைதியான அக்ரகாரத்தில் மகிழ்ச்சி பொங்கும் சூழல் மிகவும் ரம்யமாக இருந்தது.

நான் சற்று காலார நடந்து செல்ல ஒரு வீட்டு வாசலில் எனக்கு மிகவும் பரிச்சயம் ஆன மாமா ஒருத்தர். மெதுவாக அவரை அணுகி “நீங்களும் வந்திருக்கேளா. உங்கள முன்னால ட்ரிப்ளிகேன்ல பாத்தாப்ல இருக்கு”.

“நான் இந்த ஊருக்கு வந்து பத்து வருஷம் ஆறது” என்றார்.

எனக்கு தெரிந்த இவ்வளவு பேர் இங்க எப்படி ஒரு சேர இந்த ஹங்கேரி அக்ரஹாரத்தில்.

அந்த குழந்தைகள் அக்ரஹார வாழ்கையை, ஐரோப்பா கலாச்சாரத்தில் கலக்காமல் எப்படி சமாளிக்கிறார்கள் என்று புரியாமல் தவித்தேன்.

அந்த தவிப்பின் நடுவே என் செல்ஃபோன் அலாரம் ஒலித்தது.

எழுந்து பார்த்தால் மணி ஏழு. ஆபிஸுக்கு இன்று சீக்கிரம் போகணும் முக்கியமான மீட்டிங்.

ஆனால் கனவில் நினைவு போல் வந்த ஹங்கேரி அக்ரஹாரம் என்னை முழுக்க வியாபித்திருந்தது. நான் இருப்பது துபாய். என் கனவில் ஒரு அக்ரஹாரம் அதுவும் ஐரோப்பா நகரமான புடபெஸ்ட்டில்.

நான் இதுவரை கண்டிராத ஒரு நாடு ஹங்கேரி. அந்த நாட்டில் ஒரு அழகிய அக்ரஹாரம் அமைத்த என் கனவு என்னை நெகிழ வைத்தது. என் கனவில் வந்த என் பாட்டி இந்த உலகை விட்டு பிரிந்து பதினைந்து வருடங்கள் ஆகின்றன.

உண்மையிலேயே வாழ்க்கையில் இது போல் எத்தனை புதையல்கள்.

Life is a treasure!
(உண்மைக் கனவை கண்டதும், விண்டதும்: தி.பா. ஆனந்த், துபாய், ஏப்ரல் 2009)