Sculpturing a stone to a success story...

Many a time, lot of things in this world go meaningless and value less, just because they dont happen at the right time, at the right place and with the right people. Lot of talent goes unnoticed because they dont know the way of right exposure. Lot of experience go useless without others learning from it. Lot of efforts result in no visible changes or profits or making a difference. Why does this happen? And how often does this happen. It can happen to anyone, any time and any where. What makes the change? How come some people experience a difference in life? When they find that something called "Right" in all aspects.

There is an inspiring story of two people - simple friends who did simple things in an extra ordinary way. They did not do different things, but did things differently from others around them. A decade of perservarance, warmth and unchanged understanding and equivilibrium of thougts to grow in life. They still remain simple friends who fight, who laugh together and who cry together for ups and downs in life.
It was the beginning of their careers, simple and small pay jobs that kept their kitchen fires running. A small moped that helped them shuttle to office. She used to help him fuel that little vehicle and he used to pool her to office, to avoid the atrocities of heavily crowded city buses, and protecting her from the men who are still meaner in their behaviours in the buses. He used to help her by training during lunch and after office hours on technology that she never understood completely. She used to listen to his classes and suggest improvements. 3 years went off by the time, the little office they worked, had its shutters closed. Just 5 collegues and 3 best friends emerged. First birthday of her child celebrated with the sponsered money from him. She rushed with her last few hundreds to help him take his wife for a surgery. Life unfolded by each other helping in times of need and still managing to look at being something big in the future.

From there they had to take different paths in career, but still remained together in life, with the same care and concern, love and affection. There emerged two interdependent families.

With a huge joint family, little child, sick husband then and a demanding job at a call centre, she shouted at him, when he proposed her to start taking up an MBA course. Finally his cause won. She gave him a direction to move from a training institute to a software career, a dream that he dreamt from his Anna University days as a trainee and student. From then, nothing made them look back.

People looked at them with envy. With always a wrong intention but they never bothered about what others think. What mattered to them was their growth, their children, their families and future. For that if they had to spend time together everyday, they did it. They did not regret for the false looks they had just because its a married man moving with another married woman. Society looks upon you and puts you down, only if there is something for which you should be guilty of. As long as there is no such wrong notions between them, I think that made them never ever bother about all this scrap of the dirty minds. A pious friendship, a carefilled relationship and fathomless affection. Together they toiled towards their growth, worked unearthly hours, shared beautiful thoughts and all good wishes, equally handled issues and troubles on the way, stood besides each other when trauma stuck and started to realise their dreams. Building a success story from scrap is a tiring process, but with someone's faith and confidence, nothing is impossible in this world. Today they inspire youngsters like them to aim big and move forward what ever may be the circumstances. Especially he doesnt give lectures like she does, but his sets examples by his actions. She is an orator and a writer who I think inspires people around. Today she and her husband regard him as one in their family, nothing happens without him at home. His family gets elited with them around. Now they chase each other to grow further big, leaving behind all the tragedies of poverty, vulnerability, fears and insecurities.

Moral of the story: A stone is just a stone unless its in the right sculptures hand.
Bottomline: That is Krishnan Vadivel for me! My Mentor, Guide and a Best Friend.

An Year that had been larger than Life 2008

Especially for me, this had been one of the best years in my career and very challenging year overall. An year which had seen the best of time and the worst of slide downs throughout. An year which gathered momentum of all sorts. An year of success and much tiring times.
January 2008: My husband with Aish went to fulfill a long time prayers to Lord Ayyappan .
I was taken by surprise as my interview on "Chennai Sangamam" flashed in NDTV on the Pongal day Jan 15th across India.
February 2008: Winning the EWIT excellence award, especially taking a lead on my role model pushed me to a list of surprises. Most Valuable Player Award from GD for Q1 was one another pleasant surprise
March 2008: Addressing a Women's forum on a International Women's day ignited my spirits all the more. Diagnostics Tool Certification was another technical achievement that I least expected. March 12 marked its significance when my father in law gave me a standing ovation as I went on stage in Music Academy to receive my award. My mom and family stood in applause.
April 2008: Got my visa to US and travelled with family to Michigan in mid April, proving a point to lot of people who thought we would get succumbed to my husbands sickness. Turning negative times to positive opportunities once again proved as my strength.
May 2008: Two things fight to take the first seat... Aishu turned 10 and our visit to Niagara falls. To me its a dream come true. Water Falls excites me always and this Falls made my dream many times, and walking down the Niagara river, I felt an amazing transformation in me
Finally my much awaited dual MBA certificate came in from IGNOU...
June 2008: Visit to Sears Towers Chicago and also getting my 7th EAward at work gave a real boost
July 2008: Kick started a huge responsibility wearing multiple hats at work towards a much required 24*7 concentration and working towards only one goal- a project success.
Aish met Dr Kalam in her school.
September 2008: Spent a good amount of time with my childhood friend Madhuri- a deep dive down a 16 years back school stories... wow, what lives for a life time is the childhood friendships
A new friend sparked my life with the presence on my birthday. Also lost a good friend Radikha, whose untimely death moved me beyond thoughts
October 2008: Completed the largest responsibility entrusted upon me. Started to re vibrate my thoughts in my blog. Thanks to this writing spree that got me introduced to Mrs Sarada Ramani....my ongoing inspiration.
Novemeber 2008: Tears rolled down on the day we went live, as a flag bearer of a project that tested our patience and efforts. Watching Obama transform the American history was another exciting moment. Finally bid adieu to Michigan, that gave me a new and profound energies to look at life...Manjit brought new and real meaning to friendship.
December 2008: Aish winning with her school team in the Inter School Dance fest conducted by kalaignar TV and Abirami Mall, made me recognise a grown up independent child who knows to handle priorities. Still remember the sparks in those four eyes that awaited me in Airport as I came back to India, Aish and Raghu gave me a big hug making me feel proud of my family... without their fullest support, I am sure, I would not have been what I am, my mom and sisters awaited eagerly along with my best friends and my mentor Krishnan and my manager Shankar. Getting back an old and much cherished friendship back in life, is like getting back a lost fortune....sometimes, people and their emotions bring in more happiness than materialistic things. Thanks to this wonderful year, that thought me lot of things that gives me a strength to handle anything in life

Fears, Feelings, Failures- Needs Faith to handle them!!!

Recent past had been a witness to the emerging fears across the globe. A hard hit recession, changing job markets, dripping economies, war like terror striking Nations, and suddenly everywhere around, there seems to be a sobre mood. Fears that are weird and varying in nature. Companies are worried how to handle the salaries, jobs, people, expectations, customers, commitments etc. Employees are tight lipped in job insecurity, inflated cost of living, rising prices, and uncertain global scenarios. Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland and many other major indigenous auto companies are showing a slow down. It reminds of the way the Standard Motors came to a standstill in 1980's.

Once glorious cities now fear turmoil beyond repair. One highly paid companies today struggle to manage their balance sheets. We are seeing top companies like Satyam going ahead with acquiring its promoters owned Real estate businesses buying debt, making people wonder what kind of business strategies these are. Infosys took this time to employees to go on salary paid community service time...bringing in new initiatives to serve the society. On the other side, the Indian Auto Industry is creating waves by creating cheap cars. Backed by the quick and rapid moves by RBI and PSU banks towards CRR and cutting down interest rates on the home loans and public borrowing, the Indian financial spectrum is all set to bring the movement necessary is the otherwise standstill consumer market.

One thing that makes everything move forward is a constant faith. Faith in the fact that things will change, and change for good. And this is the time, that we keep our faiths stronger and steadier to move forward amidst any kind of adversity. It is the time, that we all keep our faith in our possibilities, and it is also the time to uphold our faith in the power that is at work behind the veil, faith in the work that is to be done and the offered guidance

Embajada De Espana - An Introduction to Spain

As the Ice Storm bid adieu to me in Detroit, I planned to reach Airport little earlier than planned. Waiting in the airport lounge, a black American sitting next to me, asked me with a frightful look if I am travelling to India. Thanks to CNN showcasting the Mumbai terror again and again in an television adjascent to us. He gave me a sympathatic look at me. Do I need to fear going back to India? Huh... Was surprised when my co-passenger sitting next to me in the Airplane asked me the same question. Common guys, terror is stricking my Nation, agree..but that doesn't mean that we should not travel to India. Amidst this discussion, emerged a friend from Spain.

Roberto Vazquez Delgado, who works for Dept D'Informatique started to introduce me to Spain. Spain being the second largest country in Western Europe. An invitation to come to Madrid and from there to Barcelona, made me curious about Spain. Today what we realise is a global village. Travel to any part of this world is possible. Learning and adopting to any culture is easy. Making friends world over is a practice. Being at the helm of affairs is an advantage. Information is power. That makes me begin all my plans of my next trip, this time to Spain.