INDUSTRIES IN PICTURE

Before I try to answer the first question let me put down three snaps - each one of which pictures the industries I have worked in.

My first job (Pre-MBA): This snap is from a leading Korean Shipyard where I had spent some time supervising the construction of ocean going vessels. It was a typical field job where I had to be physically present at the construction site. (Source: dsme photos)

2nd Job (1st post-MBA role): The snap summarises the power T&D sector where I spent some time working on corporate strategy and planning for a power T&D company. Head-office role with occassional visit to local offices and sites. (Source: wktv.com)

3rd Job: This is the current industry I am working in...for an offshore (oceanic) oil exploration and production service provider specialing in offshore rigs and vessels. This is a business development role where I spend reasonable time meeting clients. (Source oil-energy.com)

Now it will be much easier to try my bit on answering the first question. Will be back through the next post.

LOOKING BACK...

After almost six and a half years of professional career, after being exposed to varied kind of roles, I feel tempted to explore the evolution that has been continually changing me through this journey. Having spent almost four years in shipbuilding before MBA followed by two and a half years in corporate strategy and business development post MBA, it is worth introspecting and dissecting the experience of professional work beyond the daily rigmaroles.

The fabric of formal education, which I was exposed to, has defined my approach to understand any situation, event or issue by asking questions to myself, reasonable answers to which shall help me to capture my experiences and learning.

Through the next few posts, I shall try to delve into the following topics.
1. How is a corporate role different from a non-corporate one?
2. How has my professional work experience helped me to understand the corporate set-up?
3. How relevant is formal education in the professional set-up?
4. What are the most relevant learnings from each of my previous roles?

(Note: The answers to the above will be highly influenced/skewed by the fact that I have worked /been working in the old economy sectors like shipbuilding, power transmission/distribution and oceanic oil exploration and production)

WHITE TIGER

This book is packaged in the form of a series of letters written from an Indian entrepreneur to a Chinese Premiere during the latter’s visit to India, the intention being to “enlighten” him about the real India. The book is about the journey of this man’s (white tiger) life in India – one part of it in “darkness” and the other basking in “light”. The darkness which prevails in the villages and the light which makes the modern cities glow…

The protagonist who started his life in the darkness and moved into the light, provides an account of the path he took to carve out of himself a successful entrepreneur. The character himself is clear on the morality issues, but has no repentance of what he did in his journey towards entrepreneurship. Very fluently, he continues providing his confessions of the crimes he keeps on committing, but at the same time, he has no repentance of what he did in his journey towards entrepreneurial success. He sites numerous evidence of the injustice and corruption prevailing in India driven by an extremely servitude attitude of those who are at the receiving end.

Aravind Adiga is successful in building empathy for the character, while keeping the style of narration extremely simple and entertaining.

However, he draws a very gloomy picture of India. Even the “light” of the cities is tainted with all the “darkness” of humanity. Of course, this is an individual and independent story line, but this book which has already won Bookers is likely to lend a distorted touch to the success stories prevalent in India.

THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

Semi autobiographical in nature, this book depicts the fall of a Syrian Christian family pictured against the contemporary social happenings in the state of Kerela. Lyrical in style and innovative in approach, the author has built the narration through a series of flashbacks and flashforwards.

Through the lives of a pair of fraternal twins names Estha and Rahel, the author articulately weaves the rest of characters and relates them with something, which could probably have influenced her in her real life. Unhappiness is one common chord that can be identified with most of the characters…a kind of unhappiness which finds its source within the family setup. The weakness of the family system is the basis of the story. However, external factors like untouchability, communism, politics and other social prejudices have influenced the family set up to a large extent. She uses Malayalam terms like Mammachi, Kochamma, Sophie Mol to integrate the characters to the local setting.

Narration is as beautiful as ever. In one section, the author describes Kathakali dance. Very rarely have I read a description as beautiful as this.

The theme is probably supposed to be tragic but I guess it’s slightly difficult to empathize with the author. No emotional link is likely to develop with the characters. It’s once again the beauty of the words that creates the magic

THE ENCHANTRESS OF FLORENCE

This book, which is an amalgamation of fables and history, brings together the stories from three different lands (India, Persia and Italy) with a remarkable sense of imagery and floral fantasy. The theme links the Mughal Indian culture with that of the creativity of the Florentine renaissance through the beautiful princess Qara Koz. The linkage in itself is a marvelous thread of Rushdie’s imaginations...adding to the existing richness of the medieval history…which moulds together the complexity of power, politics, valor, betrayal and lust. The span of characters ranges from Akbar to Machiavelli, from an Uzkek Khan to a Persian prince, from Birbal to Abul Fazl…it’s just too extensive and unending.

A complicated Indian emperor, a mysterious stranger from Florence and the parallel subscripts of reality intertwined with imaginations and fanciful magical effects.….this book is an example why Salman Rushdie is one of the most complicated authors of this age. This book probably also acts as the voice of Salman Rushdie into his views on religion and on the existence of God. Feminine beauty is synonymous with eroticism in most of its contexts.

But, more than anything else, the book is about dazzling, ornamental lines with a fairy tale approach. If you can allow yourself to sink into this Rushdie’s creation and keep a distance from reality, you will definitely feel the extension of your imaginative horizon. Where can one find a book, where each line carries the floral effect of imagination with such glitter...that you have to stop for a while to imagine the rich dreamlike setting.

“From the black bowl of the skies, came the answering fires of the stars”

This is not an easy book to read…and not at all an easy book to understand….nevertheless an excellent book to enjoy the beauty and magic that words of classic Rushdie can create.

FOR ONE MORE DAY

Like the earlier works of Mitch Albom, this book is brushed with the theme of life and death. But, it’s not about life and death. Like his earlier works, Albom has employed the medium of life and death to explore something else, something so evident and yet so evasive. In this book, it’s about relationship.

It’s about taking relationships for granted and realizing its value only after it is too late. While the mother-son relationship is pictured in this book, but the underlying sensitivity can be applicable to every other relationship. With respect to the story in particular, I will rather leave it untouched in this post.

The novelty factor is missing as this book bears certain similarities of approach as in “Five People….”. So, probably for someone who is used to Albom’s mode of expression, the excitement factor might take a hit, nevertheless I recommend this book strongly. Especially, in the kind of nuclear life we are getting used to….with personal ambitions shading the sweetness of relationships….this book will indeed give you something to think about.

SOME OLD HABITS WELL PRESERVED

Some hold habits getting lost…some new habits getting developed….and in this process I feel I have left my blog untouched for quite some time. Not that I am short of topics to write, but the new habits seem to overpower me into adding more novelty into life.
My experience with books continues…Mumbai has forced me to continue my readings during commuting….and since commuting never ends, reading has remained one of those habits which is still well preserved. It’s more than two years since my entry into this enigmatic city and I am still to understand how this city turns home for so many millions. Life cannot be more difficult and yet the influx continues. Anyway…we will reserve this discussion on Mumbai for some different post. My intention of this post is to mention the last few books, which I read….each of which I will be discussing in different posts.
1. The Last Lecture
2. The God of Small Things
3. For One More Day
4. The Enchantress of Florence
5. The White Tiger
Five completely different genre of books in different settings….one about how to live life, one on society, one on relationship, one about fables of medieval world and one about India.