Discovery in the Kiwi Land - II

I am back with the updates and learning, the discoveries, the enlightenment and the way life goes on daily in this land in one corner of the world map. Every morning i see an island from my balcony (called dovenport) in the tenth floor of my apartment, opposite the Auckland port and remember of a hill temple in my hometown and i meditate by sitting before it every morning.

I was looking at a report on the net which says that Indians are the most conservative and are devoid of any risks and they prefer the life to be that. I was taken aback by the statistics and then i felt, there are lies, damn lies and statistics. However, this may apply to the majority and things are slowly changing and people are coming out of their comfort zones, breaking the stereotypes. It is not that we are risk averse, it is just that we are not provided an opportunity and we put the society before us and being brought up in a conservative style. The number of new business arenas explored, mentioned in the outlook magazine makes a mark . Either it be personal or professional life we can take risks. We can change career paths, start new business, explore a new country and do more.We can be good at sailing, para gliding, bungee jumping, scuba diving, sky jump who knows. As Rahul Gandhi said, " There are lot of obamas in the making" in our country who are willing to travel that extra mile and prove the world who they are..

The weekends are what we look forward to as the life is becoming mechanical, lacking spice and thrill and when it finally arrives it vanishes in a jiffy and that is why our elders used to say " Time Flies". We could see people getting frenzy over the weekend, the fire engines running helter skelter to avert a disaster and the patrol vehicles crisscrossing the city while people are intoxicated and having a nice time.


One of the days in the week, i have been to the University of Auckland B-School, which is one of the best in the world and is enlisted in the top 100, only when i stepped in to the campus, i realized why management education of global standards has been sought after and recognized throughout the globe and rewarded aptly. The people who make these future managers, their attitude, commitment, the exposure, the cases they study, the way they analyze, the integration of different platforms and the synergy , that is what brings in innovation, which is the key to growth of an organization and in a broader perspective the nation. As our beloved president Abdul Kalam stated, " Give me the child for 11 years and i will show you where he will be". When an open culture is created to work,to learn, to grow the development is manifold and they foster. And that would be the way to grow.

On the eleventh floor of a skyscraper, watching the city is breathtaking, the view is exhilarating, even when we getup in the morning, the weather is unpredictable and changes swiftly like our thoughts. It is fun to forget your jacket back home while leaving to office and shiver when it is sunny outside and people noting it.

12000 km away, eating dal rice which is served piping out and that too from a person from your hometown speaking the language you speak back home, serving you additional delicacies just to keep your taste buds alive and your platter full is something divine and a gods gift.
Money cannot buy everything, for everything else there is Master Card


The way the Retailing is done is pretty different, its completely different from what is seen back home, if the particular product is not available, the person himself guides where it would be available and would not push his product to the customer. If it is the closing time they say it in a polite way. They do not stretch the working hours for the customer. Can this be thought of back home?

Then comes the argument " Is customer the King?". If so they need to be at their service and mend themselves, If not - then the view is, that one person is just providing the other what he needs and is satisfying his wants and nothing more than that. This statement can have different dimensions when related to different industries and at the end of the day, even if it is a product or the service which is marketed, it is always the service which is sold. "Service Marketing" has already caught up. A Hindsight, most of the people who opt for marketing as a specialization while studying do not leave this leaf unturned.


To be continued - (your views most solicited)

Discovery in the Kiwi Land

Its the first instance of my life, where the majority of the software professionals in the Indian sub continent would dream off, the on-site visit to a distant foreign land to explore the opportunities and to grow and to lead a life of their dreams, to break free of the conservative life style which is a part of the urban Indian middle class families and to enjoy to the maximum extent possible. We come with dreams in our eyes and a passion in our heart to find greener pastures, only to find at the end of the day that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

One thing from the westerners that needs to be appreciated and taken back home is that their outlook towards life and that they keep personal matters away from the official ones. Everything is ready made and its the best example to justify why the human effort and dedication levels have been to an all time low. The flip side is that the time can be spent on more productive work.. If done:)

Crossing the seas and landing in a different land for transit has shown where the Indian sub continent has developed in terms of infrastructure.. No wonder, when i read the books of great travelers, they have rated the Indian airports to the bare minimum. The maintenance of the airport solely does not depend on the authorities alone,it also depends on the people for whom it is made.

In spite of the intense battle in the skies, the customer service in the flights left lot to be deserved. At the end of the day, you will be delivered what you have paid for. Going that extra mile in delivering that extra service is what according to me brings back the customer.

Cultures, traditions, color, taste, dressing, looks everything changes in a different land, but the basic human instinct and the needs theory of Masclow remain the same for the most part of the planet. The organization culture and the group dynamics remain the same despite the size of the organizations varying considerably across the supply chain..

On the personal front - The enthusiasm of discovering a foreign land soon fades away, the heart beats for the loved ones back home and at the same time wants the adrenalin rush here..

Just take a cue from the Smirnoff add "Life's Calling".......

The next part..... (To be continued)