Is it a plane, is it a rocket ....or is it a Lamborghini ?

The past weekend, on Saturday, around mid morning I was suddenly jolted from my peaceful existence by a loud engine-revving sound. We normally do not hear any sounds from the road which passes by very close to the place where I stay as people do not blow horns and vehicles generally move past silently. As I hurried to the window to have a peep, I saw a rare sight. There were six Lamborghini Aventador model cars waiting for the signal to turn green. The sound I heard was the collective grunt and sputter of all these cars. I barely had time to shoot a short video before the vehicles whizzed off. I don't think I will ever get to see a similar sight again. Their presence on the road unnerved even the other cars which went helter-skelter, whereas normally they line up in a very disciplined manner before a traffic signal.

This particular model of Lamborghini is a coupe made up of carbon fibre and composite materials, has a monstrous 6.5 litre, V-12 , 42 valve engine which is just short of a rocket when it takes off (0 to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds). It costs around $ 450,000/- so the collective cost of the cars I saw would be around Rs 18 Crore. These are super cars for the super rich. Here is the short video I shot:

Mahfoodh's Villa

Mr Mahfoodh Al Hinai, an Omani colleague of mine recently shifted into his new villa at Sohar. He belongs to Sohar which is a large industrial town having a free zone and a large port. This place is about two and a half hours drive from Muscat (around 250 km). His old house was taken over by the Govt as it was falling in the proposed Muscat-Sohar expressway zone. A plot of land was allotted to him elsewhere along with compensation to build a new house. It has taken him more than an year to build the house and he has spent a considerable amount from his own resources to build his dream abode. I had an opportunity to visit his new villa when I visited Sohar on an official branch visit last month. 

The villa consists of 5 bedrooms with attached washrooms (3 for the family, 1 guest room and 1 for the maid) in a duplex structure. All the building material and furniture was selected by him personally in China (yeah, he went to China to buy the stuff which was shipped to Oman in two containers). Additional material/fixtures were sourced from Dubai as and when required. The villa has cost him upwards of 80,000/- Rials (multiply that by 176 to get an idea in Indian currency - that's around Rs 1.5 crore,  wow !).  Here are some pics of the beautiful villa (click to enlarge):

                                                  A view of the villa from outside.

                                                 Close up from the courtyard.

                                    Bharat putting forth his view while Mahfoodh is all ears.

              The "Majlis" or the front parlor. The 65 inch TV was dwarfed in this huge room.

                                                                6 meter curtains !!

                                                    Another view of the Living Room

                                                    Wardrobe in one of the bedrooms.

                                          A set of two wardrobes in the children's bedroom.

                                                             The Dining Room.

                                                Wash room attached to the Guest room.

Visit to Rustaq

After Eid-al-Adha (or Bakreid) in September this year I got an opportunity to visit a historical town called Rustaq which is about two hours drive from Muscat. Mr Saif Salim Al Lamki, an Omani colleague who is a domicile of this place, had been regularly inviting me to visit him during the Eid holidays every year since I have been in Oman. As most of my holidays were spent in India owing to  various commitments I could only visit Rustaq this year thanks to his persistence.

Rustaq was once the capital of Oman and the Rustaq Fort is said to be built four centuries prior to the dawn of Islam in Oman (as per Wikipedia). It is an imposing structure built on three levels, containing separate houses, an armoury, a mosque, cells for confinement and four towers. The fort has been restored and is open to visitors who have to pay a nominal fee to gain entry to the premises.

Rustaq is also famous for its hot springs, the sulphur content of which is regarded as a cure for many skin and bone related ailments. I was fortunate, along with some other colleagues, to avail the generous hospitality of our host who took us on a tour of the town and then laid a sumptuous feast for us to partake. Following are some photos of our visit to this quiet, serene and picturesque location which I am sure will speak louder than words (click to enlarge):

                                                  A blend of History and Modernity !

                                        Entry to the Fort ( with Saif, Bharat and Dipesh)

                                                    

                            Artillery Gun of a Bygone Era ! (Saif can be seen in the background)

                                                        Reinforced Wooden Entry Door

                                                    A View of the Inner Courtyard

                                             View of the Outer Area from the Top Level

                                         Door of a Safe Deposit Area (Presumably)

                                           Imagine 'Boiling' Oil Being Poured on Invaders !

                                    The Fort had it's own Source of Water and Canal System

                                                           Source of the Hot Springs

                                        'Lost in Translation' or is it 'Painter's Devil' ?
                                       A sign near the Hot Spring which in Arabic proclaims
                                    that 'Bathing' is Prohibited instead of 'Thing' in English.

                                           The Best part of the Visit - Hogger's Delight !!

Thanks to Mr Saif Al Lamki, we had a wonderful time seeing the sights and thoroughly enjoyed the traditional Omani hospitality. Our parting query to him was "When are you inviting us to visit Rustaq again ?"

Saud Bahwan Group - Update

I am about to complete 8 years of service at Saud Bahwan Group. When I joined this group in December 2008 I had posted my first impressions about the place (Muscat), my new job and some 'feel good' factors about the company too. During the course of my tenure here I have been getting a lot of queries regarding the cost of living, working conditions, the atmosphere at work, work culture and questions about the place in general from a motley group of folks. The queries were mostly from prospective candidates who were shortlisted by the company during the interview rounds which our HR guys conduct at various places in India. Some were from guys from other Gulf countries who were contemplating a change. Some disgruntled souls who had left the company also posted negative comments about the group. 

Just like I mentioned in my previous post a 'google search' on Saud Bahwan Group must be showing related posts from this blog too. From time to time I have made it clear to such people who e-mailed their queries to me to 'not get carried away' by what I had mentioned about Saud Bahwan Group and the place as these were my personal impressions and were not meant to sway anyone's judgement. There is a lot of information floating around in cyberspace and information can also be gleaned from 'word-of-mouth' sources (friend of a friend of a friend etc, etc) or the local grapevine (which we call 'lungi gupp') in case someone has a friend from Kerela. One should reach a conclusion after thoroughly researching all available inputs. To all such inquisitive folks I must say that my take on life may be diametrically opposite to yours considering my area of expertise, qualifications, experience, designation, age, attitude, level of expectations, etc, etc. 

Some illustrious people who, before leaving the organization for good, go through the 'generally accepted practice' of composing a fine piece of prose in praise of the organization, the wonderful support received from superiors and colleagues and how the company helped them grow into fine human beings and how the experience enriched their lives. Such lavish praise is showered by a majority of folks prior to leaving the company for good. I find it unbecoming on their part to pass negative comments about the workplace particularly when they have been so vocal in their praise while they were here. One such guy posted a comment regarding his fundamental right being infringed upon by having to deposit his passport for 'safe keeping' with the company. Well, if this policy is a 'deal-breaker' for you then don't join the group or if you are in service and this rankles, then 'chuck it' man. As far as I am concerned, it is no big deal for me. I have received my passport well in time whenever I wanted to travel without any fuss whatsoever. Sometimes (and I have traveled a lot of times owing to the court case which I have mentioned in an earlier post) I have got the passport at very short notice and at times no notice at all.

Some other gentleman has commented that the environment is very political and the work culture worse than a Government organization in India. Here again, I must reiterate, that this is an individual opinion and one must take a call on what to do about it if the perception is such. Early in my service I had heard of a saying in hindi which goes thus: "नौकरी  करनी है तो नखरा कैसा ?" We seek employment for various reasons or compulsions and every job has its pros and cons. We do not have the liberty to choose our bosses and if you have to work under some 'stuck up' guy or a 'fuddy-duddy' then it is just too bad mister. Blame it on luck !

As far as I am concerned I am quite satisfied with my lot and things are cool.

CPP - Update

I have received a lot of queries regarding the subject from CPP aspirants from all over during the past six years. A google search on 'CPP' throws up some posts from this blog besides other relevant results. I have tried to reply to most of the mails I got but missed out some owing to other commitments/preoccupation/general feeling of being DWL (Disgusted With Life). My apologies to those people whose queries did not elicit a response from me. While I did get some really weird and 'out-of-this-world' queries (which I am not listing over here), the common ones are as follows :

(a)  Will CPP enhance my chances of getting a better job in Security ?

(b)  Is CPP the best certification for employment in Security ?

(c)  How do I arrange the required 'Course Material' ?

(d)  How about sending me some study material ?

(e)  Name the companies which directly employ CPPs ?

(f)  What is the 'value addition' after getting this certification ?

(g)  Did your professional career get a boost after earning this certification ?

(h)  Does it really help professionally or it just remains on your CV ?

(i)   Is it worth spending so much money on membership, test fees and resources ?

(j)   How relevant is this certification in India ?

Well, guys, thanks for the above mentioned bouncers. I am not going to answer these questions individually but the update I have in mind should clear most of the doubts. Firstly let me remind the present CPP aspirants that I got my CPP certification way back in in 2007. After re-certification in 2010 the same was validated till 31 December 2013. I did not bother to get re-certified thereafter, so technically I am not a CPP now (that is why I don't append it after my name anymore). Thanks to my current job profile, my personal preoccupations and problems, the 'low-crime-rate-country-that-I-work-in', advancing old age and general laziness to some extent, I did not think of re-certification after the validity expired.

The tag of being "Board Certified" in Security did not open any doors for me and neither was it my expectation. I was working in the Reserve Bank of India which besides being a premier institution is also a 'corruption free' (in the words of a distinguished former member of the Board) place to work in. It was a "Sarkari" job which paid well and there was lot of prestige attached to it in the market. When I faced the interview board for my current job, the panel (6 senior management officials) was totally clueless about CPP and I had to explain what it was and how that made me a 'tees maar khan'. When I landed in Oman I found out to my chagrin that no one had even heard of ASIS or CPP. So it did not boost my professional career in any way. I took the test to see if I had it in me to earn the credential. In 2007 there were just 7 CPPs in India (myself included) and I was the first in RBI. I can happily state that I did motivate some other colleagues who are Board Certified today and working in the Reserve Bank of India and some who are not. A whole lot of other guys (who got in touch with me through this blog) also benefited by the material which I had.

However, a lot has changed over the past years in terms of exam content, structure and percentage of domains of Security in which one is tested. My earlier posts related to CPP may not be fully relevant today. The study material recommended has totally changed. Now all that is recommended is the 8 volume POA and relevant ASIS Standards which can be downloaded free of cost (once) in case one is a member. The cost of POA is quite high so it would be a good idea to convince your management to foot the bill for the resource. I know the New Delhi Chapter had bought one set of study material, POA (which was 4 volumes at that time) included, in 2008 or 2009. No idea about other Chapters.

The ASIS website is quite exhaustive and one should go through it carefully to get answers to most common queries. Earning the certification is tough but it certainly gives you recognition within the fraternity. Employers in India today (and not only multi-nationals) are increasingly advertising for relevant certifications. Taking the test will ensure that you gain the required level of knowledge in Security Management, give your confidence a tremendous boost and make you visible within the fraternity. Should one go for it or not, spend so much money and whether it will add value or not  is a matter of personal choice and I will not comment on these choices. Hope that I have cleared the air somewhat ! Wishing all the best to future CPP aspirants.

Resurgence, Revival, Resurrection, Revisting - Bishtblog

After a lengthy hiatus of six years plus, I think it is high time I start blogging again. I have received numerous requests from my friends and acquaintances in this regard. Well, for starters, an update on my status would be appropriate. I am still working with the Saud Bahwan Group at Muscat - going to be nearly eight years now. The past six years have been a roller coaster ride in hell on the personal front owing to a court case in which my sons were framed for a crime they did not commit. On the professional front, things have been hectic but no cribs on that account as the ride has been quite satisfying. So much for resurgence - I better quit my rant now.