Woman Arrest Law :
An incident took place in Pune - a young girl was attacked by a man
posing as a plain clothes officer; he asked her 2 come 2 the police station when
she & her male friend didn’t have a driver’s license 2 show. He sent the boy
off 2 get his license and asked the girl to accompany him to the police station.
Took her instead to an isolated area where the horrendous crime was committed.
The law [which most of us are
not aware of] clearly states that between 6 pm and 6 am, a woman has the right
to REFUSE to go to the Police Station, even if an arrest warrant has been issued against her. It is
a procedural issue that a woman can be arrested between 6pm and 6am, ONLY if she
is arrested by a woman officer & taken to an ALL WOMEN police station. And
if she is arrested by a male officer, it has to be proven that a woman officer
was on duty at the time of arrest.
Please fwd this 2 as many girls you know.
Also 2 boys coz this can help them protect their wife, sisters and mother. It is
good for us to know our rights.
05 May 2009
So true-read on
his is a master piece.. If you have not read it take the time to
read it now.. If you have read it take time to read it again!
GEORGE CARLIN (He recently died)
Isn’t it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70’s and 80’s -
could write something so very eloquent…and so very appropriate..
A Message by George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings
but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We
spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have
bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less
judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less
wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too
little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too
tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk
too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years
to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and
back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We
conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things,
but not better things.
We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the
atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan
more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We
build more computers to hold more information, to produce more
copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and
small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are
the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken
homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away
morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do
everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is
much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time
when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can
choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are
not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe,
because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side..
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is
the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a
cent..
Remember, to say, ‘I love you’ to your partner and your loved ones,
but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it
comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that
person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the
precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that take our breath away.
-George Carlin
read it now.. If you have read it take time to read it again!
GEORGE CARLIN (He recently died)
Isn’t it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70’s and 80’s -
could write something so very eloquent…and so very appropriate..
A Message by George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings
but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We
spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have
bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less
judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less
wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too
little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too
tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk
too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years
to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and
back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We
conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things,
but not better things.
We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the
atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan
more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We
build more computers to hold more information, to produce more
copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and
small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are
the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken
homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away
morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do
everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is
much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time
when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can
choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are
not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe,
because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side..
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is
the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a
cent..
Remember, to say, ‘I love you’ to your partner and your loved ones,
but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it
comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that
person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the
precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that take our breath away.
-George Carlin
For a better life !
1. Don’t talk when u r angry
2. Don’t take words seriously from the one who is angry
2. Don’t take words seriously from the one who is angry
Dreams give life- very touching
I shed a tear! Very moving …
In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia.. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up & fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible..
The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son’s dream to come true. She took her son’s hand and asked,
‘Billy, did you ever think about what you want to be once you grew up?
Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?’
’Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up.’
Mom smiled back and said, ‘Let’s see if we can make your wish come true.’
Later that day she went to her local fire Department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son’s final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6 year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.
Fireman Bob said, ‘Look, we can do better than that. If you’ll have your son ready at seven o’clock Wednesday morning, we’ll make him an honorary Fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you’ll give us his sizes, we’ll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat - not a toy one - with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots.’ ‘They’re all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast.’
Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed t o the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven.
There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the Paramedic’s’ van, and even the fire chief’s car. He was also videotaped for the local news program.
Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.
One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept - that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a Fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.
The chief replied, ‘We can do better than that. We’ll be there in five minutes.. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It’s the department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?’
About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy’s third floor open window….. 16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into Billy’s room
With his mother’s permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they LOVED him.
With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said,
‘Chief, am I really a fireman now?’
‘Billy, you are, and The Head Chief,
Jesus, is holding your hand,’ the chief said
With those words, Billy smiled and said,
‘I know, He’s been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been
singing….’
He closed his eyes one last time.
In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia.. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up & fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible..
The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son’s dream to come true. She took her son’s hand and asked,
‘Billy, did you ever think about what you want to be once you grew up?
Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?’
’Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up.’
Mom smiled back and said, ‘Let’s see if we can make your wish come true.’
Later that day she went to her local fire Department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son’s final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6 year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.
Fireman Bob said, ‘Look, we can do better than that. If you’ll have your son ready at seven o’clock Wednesday morning, we’ll make him an honorary Fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you’ll give us his sizes, we’ll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat - not a toy one - with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots.’ ‘They’re all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast.’
Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed t o the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven.
There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the Paramedic’s’ van, and even the fire chief’s car. He was also videotaped for the local news program.
Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.
One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept - that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a Fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.
The chief replied, ‘We can do better than that. We’ll be there in five minutes.. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It’s the department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?’
About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy’s third floor open window….. 16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into Billy’s room
With his mother’s permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they LOVED him.
With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said,
‘Chief, am I really a fireman now?’
‘Billy, you are, and The Head Chief,
Jesus, is holding your hand,’ the chief said
With those words, Billy smiled and said,
‘I know, He’s been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been
singing….’
He closed his eyes one last time.
Kill you EGO
There was once a scientist. After a lot of practice & efforts, he developed a formula & learned the art of reproducing himself. He did it so perfectly that it was impossible to tell the reproduction from the original.
One day while doing his research, he realized that the Angel of Death was searching for him.
In order to remain alive he reproduced a dozen copies of himself. The reproduction was so similar that all of them looked exactly like him.
Now when this Angel of Death came down, he was at a loss to know which of the thirteen before him was the original scientist, & confused,he left them all alone & returned back to heaven.
But, not for long, for being an expert in human nature, the Angel came up with a clever idea.
He said to the scientist addressing all thirteen of them, “Sir, you must be a genius to have succeeded in making such perfect reproduction formula of yourself. However, I have discovered a flaw in your work, just one tiny little flaw.”
The scientist immediately jumped out & shouted, “Impossible! where is the flaw?”
“Right here” said the Angel, as he picked up the scientist from among the reproductions & carried him off.
The whole purpose of the scientist & his formula of reproduction failed as he could not control his pride, so he lost his life.
So when man’s Knowledge & Skills takes him to the top of the ladder & makes him successful, however the three letter word “EGO” can pull him down to earth immediately at its double speed.
So don’t allow Ego to kill yourself,
Instead; KILL YOU EGO..!!!
Life changes with small experiences ! - An inspriration
THERE are two photographs that hang on my office wall.
Everyday when I enter my office I look at them before starting my day.
They are pictures of two old people.
One is of a gentleman in a blue suit and the other is a black and white
image of a man with dreamy eyes and a white beard.
People have often asked me if the people in the photographs are related
to me.
Some have even asked me, “Is this black and white photo that of a
Sufi saint or a religious Guru?”
I smile and reply “No, nor are they related to me. These people made
An impact on my life. I am grateful to them.”
“Who are they?”
“The man in the blue suit is Bharat Ratna JRD Tata and the black and
white photo is of Jamsetji Tata.”
“But why do you have them in your office?”" You can call it gratitude.”
Then, invariably, I have to tell the person the following story.
It was a long time ago. I was young and bright, bold and idealistic.
I was in the final year of my Master’s course in Computer Science at
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, then known as the Tata
Institute. Life was full of fun and joy. I did not know what helplessness
or injustice meant.
It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and
gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my
postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies’ hostel.
Other girls were pursuing research in different departments of Science. I
was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in computer
science. I had been offered scholarships from Universities in the US. I
had not thought of taking up a job in India.
One day, while on the way to my hostel from our lecture-hall complex, I
saw an advertisement on the notice board.
It was a standard job-requirement notice from the famous automobile
company Telco (now Tata Motors). It stated that the company required
young, bright engineers, hardworkingand with an excellent academic background, etc.
At the bottom was a small line: “Lady candidates need not apply.”
I read it and was very upset. For the first time in my life I was up
against gender discrimination.
Though I was not keen on taking up the job, I saw it as a challenge. I
had done extremely well in academics, better than most of my male peers.
Little did I know then that in real life academic excellence is not
enough to be successful.
After reading the notice I went fuming to my room. I decided to inform
the topmost person in Telco’s management about the injustice the
company was perpetrating. I got a postcard and started to write, but
there was a problem: I did not know who headed Telco. I thought it must be
one of the Tatas.
I knew JRD Tata was the head of the Tata Group; I had seen his pictures in
newspapers (actually, Sumant Moolgaokar was the company’s chairman then).
I took the card, addressed it to JRD and started writing. To this day I
remember clearly what I wrote. “The great Tatas have always been
pioneers. They are the people who started the basic infrastructure
industries in India, such as iron and steel, chemicals, textiles and
locomotives.They have cared for higher education in India, such as
iron and steel, chemicals, textiles and locomotives. They have cared for
higher education in India since 1900 and they were responsible for the
establishment of the Indian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study
there. But I am surprised how a company such as Telco is discriminating
on the basis of gender.”
I posted the letter and forgot about it. Less than 10 days later, I
received a telegram stating that I had to appear for an interview
at Telco’s Pune facility at the company’s expense. I was taken aback by
the telegram. My hostel mated told me I should use the opportunity to go
to Pune free of cost and buy them the famous Pune saris forcheap!
I collected Rs 30 each from everyone who wanted a sari. When I look back,
I feel like laughing at the reasons for my going, but back then they
seemed good enough to make the trip.
It was my first visit to Pune and I immediately fell in love with the
city. To this day it remains dear to me. I feel as much at home in Pune
as I do in Hubli, my hometown. The place changed my life in so many ways.
As directed, I went to Telco’s Pimpri office for the interview.
There were six people on the panel and I realised then that this was serious business.
“This is the girl who wrote to JRD,” I heard somebody whisper as soon as
I entered the room. By then I knew for sure that I would not get the
job.The realisation abolished all fear from my mind, so I was rather cool
while the interview was being conducted.
Even before the interview started, I reckoned the panel was biased, so
I told them, rather impolitely, “I hope this is only a technical
interview.” They were taken aback by my rudeness, and even today I am
ashamed about my attitude.
The panel asked me technical questions and I answered all of them. Then
an elderly gentleman with an affectionate voice told me, “Do you know why
we said lady candidates need not apply? The reason is that we have never
employed any ladies on the shop floor. This is not a co-ed college;this
is a factory. When it comes to academics, you are a first ranker throughout.
We appreciate that, but people like you should work in research lboratories.”
I was a young girl from small-town Hubli. My world had been a limited
place. I did not know the ways of large corporate houses
and their difficulties, so I answered, “But you must start somewhere,
otherwise no woman will ever be able to work in your factories.”
Finally, after a long interview, I was told I had been successful. So
this was what the future had in store for me. Never had I thought I would
take up a job in Pune. I met a shy young man from Karnataka there, we
became good friends and we got married.
It was only after joining Telco that I realised who JRD was: the
uncrowned king of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not get to
meethim till I was transferred to Bombay. One day I had to show some
reports to Mr Moolgaokar, our chairman, who we all knew as SM. I was in
his office on the first floor of Bombay House (the Tata headquarters)
when, suddenly JRD walked in. That was the first time I saw “appro JRD”.
Appro means “our” in Gujarati. This was the affectionate term by which
people at BombayHouse called him.
I was feeling very nervous, remembering my postcard episode.
SM introduced me nicely, “Jeh (that’s what his close associates called
him), this young woman is an engineer and that too a postgraduate. She is
the first woman to work on the Telco shop floor.” JRD looked at me.
I was praying he would not ask me any questions about my interview (or
the postcard that preceded it). Thankfully, he didn’t. Instead, he
remarked. “It is nice that girls are getting into engineering in our
country. By the way, what is your name?”
“When I joined Telco I was Sudha Kulkarni, Sir,” I replied. “Now I am
Sudha Murthy.” He smiled and kindly smile and started a discussion
with SM. As for me, I almost ran out of the room.
After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group chairman
and I was merely an engineer. There was nothing that we had in common.
Iwas in awe of him.
One day I was waiting for Murthy, my husband, to pick me up after
office hours. To my surprise I saw JRD standing next to me. I did not
know how to react. Yet again I started worrying about that postcard.
Looking back,I realise JRD had forgotten about it. It must have been a
small incidentfor him, but not so for me.
“Young lady, why are you here?” he asked. “Office time is over.”
I said, “Sir, I’m waiting for my husband to come and pick me up.”
JRD said, “It is getting dark and there’s no one in the corridor. I’ll
wait with you till your husband comes.”
I was quite used to waiting for Murthy, but having JRD waiting
Alongside made me extremely uncomfortable.
I was nervous. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at him. He wore a
simple white pant and shirt. He was old, yet his face was glowing.
There wasn’t any air of superiority about him. I was thinking, “Look at
this person.
He is a chairman, a well-respected man in our country and he is waiting
for the sake of an ordinary employee.”
Then I saw Murthy and I rushed out. JRD called and said, “Young lady,
tell your husband never to make his wife wait again.”
In 1982 I had to resign from my job at Telco.
I was reluctant to go,but I really did not have a choice. I was coming
down the steps of Bombay House after wrapping up my final settlement when
I saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed in thought. I wanted to say goodbye to him, so I stopped. Hesaw me and paused.
Gently, he said, “So what are you doing, Mrs Kulkarni?” (That was the
way he always addressed me.)
“Sir, I am leaving Telco.”
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Pune, Sir. My husband is starting a company called Infosys and I’m
shifting to Pune.”
“Oh! And what will you do when you are successful.”
“Sir, I don’t know whether we will be successful.”
“Never start with diffidence,” he advised me. “Always start with
confidence. When you are successful you must give back to society.
Society gives us so much; we must reciprocate. I wish you all the best.”
Then JRD continued walking up the stairs. I stood there for what seemed
like a millennium. That was the last time I saw him alive.
Many years later I met Ratan Tata in the same Bombay House, occupying
the chair JRD once did.
I told him of my many sweet memories of working with Telco.
Later, he wrote to me, “It was nice hearing about Jeh from you.
The sad part is that he’s not alive to see you today.”
I consider JRD a great man because, despite being an extremely busy
person, he valued one postcard written by a young girl seeking justice.
He must have received thousands of letters everyday.
He could have thrown mine away, but he didn’t do that.
He respected the intentions of thatunknown girl, who had neither influence
nor money, and gave her an opportunity in
his company. He did not merely give her a job; he changed her life and
mindset forever.
Close to 50 per cent of the students in today’s engineering collegesare
girls. And there are women on the shop floor in many industry segments.
I see these changes and I think of JRD. If at all time stops and asks
me what I want from life, I would say I wish JRD were alive today to see
how the company we started has grown. He would have enjoyed it wholeheartedly.
Everyday when I enter my office I look at them before starting my day.
They are pictures of two old people.
One is of a gentleman in a blue suit and the other is a black and white
image of a man with dreamy eyes and a white beard.
People have often asked me if the people in the photographs are related
to me.
Some have even asked me, “Is this black and white photo that of a
Sufi saint or a religious Guru?”
I smile and reply “No, nor are they related to me. These people made
An impact on my life. I am grateful to them.”
“Who are they?”
“The man in the blue suit is Bharat Ratna JRD Tata and the black and
white photo is of Jamsetji Tata.”
“But why do you have them in your office?”" You can call it gratitude.”
Then, invariably, I have to tell the person the following story.
It was a long time ago. I was young and bright, bold and idealistic.
I was in the final year of my Master’s course in Computer Science at
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, then known as the Tata
Institute. Life was full of fun and joy. I did not know what helplessness
or injustice meant.
It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and
gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my
postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies’ hostel.
Other girls were pursuing research in different departments of Science. I
was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in computer
science. I had been offered scholarships from Universities in the US. I
had not thought of taking up a job in India.
One day, while on the way to my hostel from our lecture-hall complex, I
saw an advertisement on the notice board.
It was a standard job-requirement notice from the famous automobile
company Telco (now Tata Motors). It stated that the company required
young, bright engineers, hardworkingand with an excellent academic background, etc.
At the bottom was a small line: “Lady candidates need not apply.”
I read it and was very upset. For the first time in my life I was up
against gender discrimination.
Though I was not keen on taking up the job, I saw it as a challenge. I
had done extremely well in academics, better than most of my male peers.
Little did I know then that in real life academic excellence is not
enough to be successful.
After reading the notice I went fuming to my room. I decided to inform
the topmost person in Telco’s management about the injustice the
company was perpetrating. I got a postcard and started to write, but
there was a problem: I did not know who headed Telco. I thought it must be
one of the Tatas.
I knew JRD Tata was the head of the Tata Group; I had seen his pictures in
newspapers (actually, Sumant Moolgaokar was the company’s chairman then).
I took the card, addressed it to JRD and started writing. To this day I
remember clearly what I wrote. “The great Tatas have always been
pioneers. They are the people who started the basic infrastructure
industries in India, such as iron and steel, chemicals, textiles and
locomotives.They have cared for higher education in India, such as
iron and steel, chemicals, textiles and locomotives. They have cared for
higher education in India since 1900 and they were responsible for the
establishment of the Indian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study
there. But I am surprised how a company such as Telco is discriminating
on the basis of gender.”
I posted the letter and forgot about it. Less than 10 days later, I
received a telegram stating that I had to appear for an interview
at Telco’s Pune facility at the company’s expense. I was taken aback by
the telegram. My hostel mated told me I should use the opportunity to go
to Pune free of cost and buy them the famous Pune saris forcheap!
I collected Rs 30 each from everyone who wanted a sari. When I look back,
I feel like laughing at the reasons for my going, but back then they
seemed good enough to make the trip.
It was my first visit to Pune and I immediately fell in love with the
city. To this day it remains dear to me. I feel as much at home in Pune
as I do in Hubli, my hometown. The place changed my life in so many ways.
As directed, I went to Telco’s Pimpri office for the interview.
There were six people on the panel and I realised then that this was serious business.
“This is the girl who wrote to JRD,” I heard somebody whisper as soon as
I entered the room. By then I knew for sure that I would not get the
job.The realisation abolished all fear from my mind, so I was rather cool
while the interview was being conducted.
Even before the interview started, I reckoned the panel was biased, so
I told them, rather impolitely, “I hope this is only a technical
interview.” They were taken aback by my rudeness, and even today I am
ashamed about my attitude.
The panel asked me technical questions and I answered all of them. Then
an elderly gentleman with an affectionate voice told me, “Do you know why
we said lady candidates need not apply? The reason is that we have never
employed any ladies on the shop floor. This is not a co-ed college;this
is a factory. When it comes to academics, you are a first ranker throughout.
We appreciate that, but people like you should work in research lboratories.”
I was a young girl from small-town Hubli. My world had been a limited
place. I did not know the ways of large corporate houses
and their difficulties, so I answered, “But you must start somewhere,
otherwise no woman will ever be able to work in your factories.”
Finally, after a long interview, I was told I had been successful. So
this was what the future had in store for me. Never had I thought I would
take up a job in Pune. I met a shy young man from Karnataka there, we
became good friends and we got married.
It was only after joining Telco that I realised who JRD was: the
uncrowned king of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not get to
meethim till I was transferred to Bombay. One day I had to show some
reports to Mr Moolgaokar, our chairman, who we all knew as SM. I was in
his office on the first floor of Bombay House (the Tata headquarters)
when, suddenly JRD walked in. That was the first time I saw “appro JRD”.
Appro means “our” in Gujarati. This was the affectionate term by which
people at BombayHouse called him.
I was feeling very nervous, remembering my postcard episode.
SM introduced me nicely, “Jeh (that’s what his close associates called
him), this young woman is an engineer and that too a postgraduate. She is
the first woman to work on the Telco shop floor.” JRD looked at me.
I was praying he would not ask me any questions about my interview (or
the postcard that preceded it). Thankfully, he didn’t. Instead, he
remarked. “It is nice that girls are getting into engineering in our
country. By the way, what is your name?”
“When I joined Telco I was Sudha Kulkarni, Sir,” I replied. “Now I am
Sudha Murthy.” He smiled and kindly smile and started a discussion
with SM. As for me, I almost ran out of the room.
After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group chairman
and I was merely an engineer. There was nothing that we had in common.
Iwas in awe of him.
One day I was waiting for Murthy, my husband, to pick me up after
office hours. To my surprise I saw JRD standing next to me. I did not
know how to react. Yet again I started worrying about that postcard.
Looking back,I realise JRD had forgotten about it. It must have been a
small incidentfor him, but not so for me.
“Young lady, why are you here?” he asked. “Office time is over.”
I said, “Sir, I’m waiting for my husband to come and pick me up.”
JRD said, “It is getting dark and there’s no one in the corridor. I’ll
wait with you till your husband comes.”
I was quite used to waiting for Murthy, but having JRD waiting
Alongside made me extremely uncomfortable.
I was nervous. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at him. He wore a
simple white pant and shirt. He was old, yet his face was glowing.
There wasn’t any air of superiority about him. I was thinking, “Look at
this person.
He is a chairman, a well-respected man in our country and he is waiting
for the sake of an ordinary employee.”
Then I saw Murthy and I rushed out. JRD called and said, “Young lady,
tell your husband never to make his wife wait again.”
In 1982 I had to resign from my job at Telco.
I was reluctant to go,but I really did not have a choice. I was coming
down the steps of Bombay House after wrapping up my final settlement when
I saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed in thought. I wanted to say goodbye to him, so I stopped. Hesaw me and paused.
Gently, he said, “So what are you doing, Mrs Kulkarni?” (That was the
way he always addressed me.)
“Sir, I am leaving Telco.”
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Pune, Sir. My husband is starting a company called Infosys and I’m
shifting to Pune.”
“Oh! And what will you do when you are successful.”
“Sir, I don’t know whether we will be successful.”
“Never start with diffidence,” he advised me. “Always start with
confidence. When you are successful you must give back to society.
Society gives us so much; we must reciprocate. I wish you all the best.”
Then JRD continued walking up the stairs. I stood there for what seemed
like a millennium. That was the last time I saw him alive.
Many years later I met Ratan Tata in the same Bombay House, occupying
the chair JRD once did.
I told him of my many sweet memories of working with Telco.
Later, he wrote to me, “It was nice hearing about Jeh from you.
The sad part is that he’s not alive to see you today.”
I consider JRD a great man because, despite being an extremely busy
person, he valued one postcard written by a young girl seeking justice.
He must have received thousands of letters everyday.
He could have thrown mine away, but he didn’t do that.
He respected the intentions of thatunknown girl, who had neither influence
nor money, and gave her an opportunity in
his company. He did not merely give her a job; he changed her life and
mindset forever.
Close to 50 per cent of the students in today’s engineering collegesare
girls. And there are women on the shop floor in many industry segments.
I see these changes and I think of JRD. If at all time stops and asks
me what I want from life, I would say I wish JRD were alive today to see
how the company we started has grown. He would have enjoyed it wholeheartedly.
Human Spirit-The Zeal !!!
Heard of the words amaranthine , invincible, perpetual, unbounded?
I sometimes wonder from where Man would have got the idea for such words.
Probably from the thought there was something in this universe beyond his capacity? Something he couldn't hope to understand? Perhaps it was his excuse to satisfy himself of the way he dealt with the unknown phenomenon of the world:
"It is endless,infinite." Simple and that is the end of it, no further explanation is required.
How exactly would that word have come into existence? I feel after enormous attempts and failures Man must have reconciled with his limitations and attached a label of infinity with them. Though, we fail the actual purpose of this post if we conclude thus.
It is not his compromise with limitations but his zeal for knowledge which is the point. He knows there is something existing which he cannot understand still he accounts for it in his calculations hoping that someday his theories and efforts would entrust or bless upon him an elucidation of the enigmatic universe. It is this relentless quest of his that impresses me the most. Now, Man is a composite creation; an assortment of the vagaries of nature. Which element of this composite creation is it that gives the creation this unrelenting zeal for conquering and modeling out everything?
The answer probably lies in the lines below:
I touched fear by looking ephemeral at shadows,
and annihilated it with astonishment at them,
learnt to flail helplessly by questioning what I know,
but let knowledge raze flounders before they could blend.
I smelt blood when I fell down,
but ego wiped that reek out,
I felt the pain sluice inside,
but pretense calmly swallowed it down.
I felt hurt when someone close would let go,
expressing it needed more words than I know.
So, damn in the heart I say,
move ahead and let the mind grow.
Mind is the key to all locks the future holds,
so just move along and let it grow.
I cry no tear,
I know no fear,
I feel no pain,
I hear no name,
I see the world,
and ride upon holocaust and flames many
Death may touch me,
but I cannot be captured,
I am you and I am me,
I am the freedom and I am the canon,
I surge and soar high above the seas.
No religion can cage me,
no sage can bind me,
only I, myself can find me.
Life is an eternal quest,
I myself am beyond conquest.
I am the celebration and the fight,
I am the creation and the light.
I am that immortal grit,
I am the Esprit.
The word 'Esprit' refers to the spiritual intelligence or liveliness of a human being. This is what in my opinion is responsible for the world as we see it. The world today is a consequence of innumerable zealous endeavors which resulted in inventions and discoveries. All zeal is a consequence to this Esprit.
So here is cheers to the seraphic triumph of the Human Spirit for giving us all we have.
I sometimes wonder from where Man would have got the idea for such words.
Probably from the thought there was something in this universe beyond his capacity? Something he couldn't hope to understand? Perhaps it was his excuse to satisfy himself of the way he dealt with the unknown phenomenon of the world:
"It is endless,infinite." Simple and that is the end of it, no further explanation is required.
How exactly would that word have come into existence? I feel after enormous attempts and failures Man must have reconciled with his limitations and attached a label of infinity with them. Though, we fail the actual purpose of this post if we conclude thus.
It is not his compromise with limitations but his zeal for knowledge which is the point. He knows there is something existing which he cannot understand still he accounts for it in his calculations hoping that someday his theories and efforts would entrust or bless upon him an elucidation of the enigmatic universe. It is this relentless quest of his that impresses me the most. Now, Man is a composite creation; an assortment of the vagaries of nature. Which element of this composite creation is it that gives the creation this unrelenting zeal for conquering and modeling out everything?
The answer probably lies in the lines below:
I touched fear by looking ephemeral at shadows,
and annihilated it with astonishment at them,
learnt to flail helplessly by questioning what I know,
but let knowledge raze flounders before they could blend.
I smelt blood when I fell down,
but ego wiped that reek out,
I felt the pain sluice inside,
but pretense calmly swallowed it down.
I felt hurt when someone close would let go,
expressing it needed more words than I know.
So, damn in the heart I say,
move ahead and let the mind grow.
Mind is the key to all locks the future holds,
so just move along and let it grow.
I cry no tear,
I know no fear,
I feel no pain,
I hear no name,
I see the world,
and ride upon holocaust and flames many
Death may touch me,
but I cannot be captured,
I am you and I am me,
I am the freedom and I am the canon,
I surge and soar high above the seas.
No religion can cage me,
no sage can bind me,
only I, myself can find me.
Life is an eternal quest,
I myself am beyond conquest.
I am the celebration and the fight,
I am the creation and the light.
I am that immortal grit,
I am the Esprit.
The word 'Esprit' refers to the spiritual intelligence or liveliness of a human being. This is what in my opinion is responsible for the world as we see it. The world today is a consequence of innumerable zealous endeavors which resulted in inventions and discoveries. All zeal is a consequence to this Esprit.
So here is cheers to the seraphic triumph of the Human Spirit for giving us all we have.
Company policies and procedures
In this experiment they put eight monkeys in a room. In the middle of the room is a ladder, leading to a bunch of bananas hanging from a hook on the ceiling.
Each time a monkey tries to climb the ladder, all the monkeys are sprayed with ice water, which makes them miserable.
Soon enough, whenever a monkey attempts to climb the ladder, all of the other monkeys, not wanting to be sprayed, set upon him and beat him up.
Soon, none of the eight monkeys ever attempts to climb the ladder.
One of the original monkeys is then removed, and a new monkey is put in the room. Seeing the bananas and the ladder, he wonders why none of the other monkeys are doing the obvious, but, undaunted, he immediately begins to climb the ladder.
All the other monkeys fall upon him and beat him silly. He has no idea why. However, he no longer attempts to climb the ladder.
A second original monkey is removed and replaced.
The newcomer again attempts to climb the ladder, but all the other monkeys hammer the crap out of him.
This includes the previous new monkey, who, grateful that he's not on the receiving end this time, participates in the beating because all the other monkeys are doing it.
However, he has no idea why he's attacking the new monkey.
One by one, all the original monkeys are replaced, eight new monkeys are now in the room. None of them have ever been sprayed by ice water. None of them attempt to climb the ladder.
All of them will enthusiastically beat up any new monkey who tries, without having any idea why.
*********
AND THAT'S HOW VERY MANY COMPANY POLICIES & PROCEDURES GET ESTABLISHED.
Rare Pics
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THE FIRST EVER MISS INDIA THEN AND NOW
FAMOUS PERSONALITIES
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