We are One - NEEV!

Two days into the meetings and discussions of the process flows, I could hardly understand anything about the subject matter; so much so I was given an option to go back to my routine work. Three months later, I get an award for handling a module in entirety. Though this incident is a personal victory for me, NEEV was an extraordinary 9-month journey; a milestone in my modest professional career. 

We as Finance people, are always after due dates and usually work on the after parts of any project. NEEV gave us an opportunity to be involved right from the inception, witnessing every phase of the project execution and the system coming together and taking shape. And all of this in a remarkably limited time. The most beautiful part of the project was that no two days were the same; probably exactly what kept everybody on their toes. It gives me a feeling of immense satisfaction and accomplishment to see something, which I have worked on, come into being and to be a part of the history of the organization. 

For me personally, the project was overwhelming in all senses. I have laughed and cried with the same intensity during the Project. I have garnered loads of learnings and knowledge flowing around all the while. There were days where I just needed a break, and some where I just wanted to get things done right in the system. I met some amazing people on the project and was fortunate to have superb seniors and a wonderful team to work with. Be it discussions or completing a task, egos took a backseat, you are welcome if you have anything to contribute. Seasons kept changing at the monthly Floor connect, the target of going live on 1st April 2024 remained undisturbed. The leap of faith is now a dream coming true.  

I now understand that there's one outcome when you put your head to doing something; it's an altogether different story when you pour your heart. I am highly grateful to be a part of this magnificent journey. NEEV will always hold a special place in my heart. 

The Year which must not be named

This post was long due release, somewhere in the initial days of 2021.

"I am so bummed, I am actually enjoying watching a Marathi TV drama with my grandmother, and this is not it, I look forward to watching it the next day. So the man of the house is having an extra marital affair with an office colleague, and his wife of course is too busy running the kitchen and feeding the kids. Nothing beats Ramayan though. And I mean it. Though we know the story, it is enlightening in many ways. 

Is it a crime to not ask for more office work and blog instead? I do miss writing though!

I do not know where to start from. Honestly, it is the third time that I sat down to write and cannot think of anything. Today is a good day to write.

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day, when he said that what if all of this is just a 'Bad Dream'. What if tomorrow, we wake up, and all of this is restored? Rather, never happened to get restored.

Unfortunately, all of this is too good to be true. God! We did not ask for our nightmares to come into reality. Not fair. Such is life though. Looking at the brighter side, what this year taught us was to be grateful. Until now, we looked at what we did not have , when we already had our basic necessities in abundance.

Personally, I had a very tough time this year. Like most of us have, had or probably will (God forbid) face something called anxiety. I am an introvert, I am comfortable around a very few people and I had quite a few emotional ups and downs in the last 4-5 years. Detailing them would run into pages, so to sum up, I had a lot of things saturated, preconceived notions, wrongly developed thought processes that affected my direction of thinking ability, had shaken my confidence, had made me a dull, negative person, not to mention how all this had affected me physically. I did not realise, I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I was turning into a person with negative vibes. 

Anxiety makes you narrow minded. You cannot look beyond yourself. The worst part about anxiety is only you understand what you feel, how much ever you explain. The problem is intangible, all in your head. I had to let go 100s of things, which I had collected like pennies. When there is a disturbance in life, human beings have a tendency to first deny, avoid if possible and if accepted, try to get out with minimal irritation. 

The solution is to take a step back and look at the larger picture. To look at the brighter side, what I take from this year is that I found the root cause of my anxiety. I took therapy and found out that even emotional problems can be solved logically. When you advice your friend, you do it better because you approach the problem rationally. Personal problems are always looked at emotionally and we end up blaming others, not accepting the situation and self-pitying. 

When your mind is not engaged, there is a leeway. To simplify. 'Empty mind is devil's workshop', was my situation. The biggest accomplishment was realizing and accepting that my behavior has changed and it is affecting other people. 

My biggest lesson was to keep myself engaged throughout. The vacuum plants the seed of anxiety. When I was younger (OMG! I cannot believe I just said, when I was younger!!!), I was constantly occupied. Yes, there were fewer responsibilities, but the pressure was of a different kind. 

I have consciously changed my thoughts. Changed my habits. I have definitely grown to be a bigger and better person and I am very happy and proud of myself. Yes, still there are some bad days, but I make peace with them instead of fighting against, find out the reason behind it, and move on."

Mayura Prabhudesai

Him

His face had some wrinkles. He had lost some weight. His forehead appeared broader. His hair was jet black, a little more than one could have naturally, thanks to Garnier Black Naturals. But the smile was still the same.

I felt like I was seeing my father after a very long time. Taking out time, and actually just observing him. They say that the worst part about growing up is that your parents grow old and it is true to its very bit.  We are so busy growing up, there's hardly anything we see beyond our own selves. We need to realize that the shoulders that once carried the weight of the world are now tired, and need some rest. That now it's our time to take the charge and lead. It is now our time to be a parent to our parents.

My father is a man of principles. He believes that knowledge is one's greatest power. He knows what efforts it takes to start from scratch and go to the top. He has seen both, the best and worst things in his life. He believes in lesser quantity but a class apart quality. He appreciates authentic and traditional things in life rather than going with the trend. Also, he's a stubborn man with some conventional methods that he won't change. Quite orthodox, difficult to deal with sometimes, he has anger, that we have learnt to ignore now, over the years.

However, I feel him being strict has only helped me in my life. My sister and me, just got what's needed at that particular age, no nonsense toleration and no unnecessary pampering. This has made me a more understanding person, easily adapting to situations. He's not my friend, he never will be I guess. We do not share that kind of rapport. But I know that I can go to him for advice and will never be dissapointed. He is a man of very few words, but he's got my back, and I know it. A little part of his unimaginable mental strength is what I have got from him, and I feel more than fortunate. And of course, we both can survive our entire life over countless cups of only 'Chai'.

I love him for the innumerable sacrifices, that I don't even know of, he has made for my family and me.  I love him, in spite of how he is. I love him because, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that he's my father and the most strongest man I have ever met in my life.

A very happy 57th birthday to him!! :-)

बळीराजा

हे पोस्ट मराठीत लिहिण्याचे विशेष कारण म्हणजे जेव्हा आपल्याला कोणती गोष्ट मनापासुन सांगायची असते तेव्हा ती आपल्या मातृभाषेत सगळ्यात चांगली सांगता येते.

काल जवळ जवळ ५०००० शेतकरी नाशिकहून मुंबई ला दाखल झाले. त्यांना पाहून अक्षरशः अंगावर काटा आला. भारत हा अजूनही कृषिप्रधान देश आहे आणि बळीराजा म्हटला जाणारा शेतकरी हा भारताच्या अर्थव्यवस्थेचा सगळ्यात महत्वाचा भाग आहे. ह्याच शेतकऱ्याला आपल्या इच्छा पूर्ण करण्यासाठी एवढे काही करावे लागत असेल तर आपण अजून पुढारलेले नाही. गाडीत बसून, SPF 50 चं सनस्क्रीन आणि गॉगल लावून "बाहेर किती ऊन आहे" हे म्हणणं खुपच सोप्पं आहे. पण ह्याच उन्हात आपल्या बायका-पोरांना घेऊन, आपल्या गरजा पूर्ण व्हाव्यात अशी अपेक्षा ठेवून १८० किमी. पायपीट करत येणं खूपच कठीण आहे.

खरंतर त्यांच्या हिम्मतीला दाद द्यायला हवी. कर्जाबरोबर आपल्या दुःखाचेही ओझे घेऊन आले होते हे शेतकरी. पण स्वतःच्या विचारांवर मन ठाम असल्यामुळे त्यांना कसलीच भीती नव्हती. वृत्तपत्रात छापलेली काही चित्रे अगदी दयनीय आहेत. कोणाच्या पायातून रक्त येतंय तर कोणी सावली मिळायला साध्या पुठ्ठयाचा वापर करत आहे. अश्या परिस्थितीही शेतकऱ्यांनी दुसऱ्याचा विचार आधी केला. परीक्ष्यांमध्ये अडथळा येऊ नये म्हणून आपला मोर्चा सकाळी ऐवजी रात्रीच न्ह्यावा असे त्यांनी ठरवले. बऱ्याचश्या मागण्या पूर्ण झालेल्या असून, त्यांना काही आश्वासने हि दिली गेली आहेत. तरीही आमचा लढा चालूच राहील असे त्यांनी म्हटले आहे.

ह्याच बरोबर कौतुक करायला हवे तर ते आपल्या मुंबईकरांचे. हाकेला ओ देणारा मुंबईकर कालही आपल्या शेतकरी बंधूंसाठी धावून गेला. कोणी जेवण आणि पिण्याचे पाणी तर कोणी वडापाव आणि चहा देऊन मदत केली. पायाला झालेल्या जखमांना फुंकर मारण्यासाठी चपलाही वाटण्यात आल्या. काहींवर डॉक्टरांनीही प्रथम उपचार केले. विशेष कौतुक करायचे ते म्हणजे पोलिसांचे. ४८ तास ड्युटीवर असूनही न थकता आपले काम करत राहिले. मोर्च्याची जबाबदारी होतीच, पण त्याच बरोबर शहराचे दैनंदिन विस्कळीत होऊ द्यायचे नव्हते. त्यांनी आपली कामगिरी चोख पार पाडली. रेल्वे आणि एसटीनेही विशेष गाड्या सोडल्या.

एकूणच काय तर माणूस असलेल्या ह्या जगात थोडी माणुसकीही शिल्लक आहे असे म्हणायला हरकत नाही.

मयुरा प्रभुदेसाई

मार्च १३, २०१८