Code Number Clocked !

The title of this post is not meant to confuse anyone. When I joined the Saud Bahwan Group in December 2008 I was allotted an employee 'Code No.' My Code No. is 21217 which means that I was the 21217th individual to join this company ( the oldest serving employee as on date is Code No. 4 - employed in 1973 and currently part of the TOP management !!).

Recently, on my way back to Muscat from a branch visit I happened to notice that the odometer on my car was about to show my Code No. as kilometers clocked till date. Not bad - clocking 21217 kms in just a little over one year ! I shot the following pics on this occasion. (click on the pic to enlarge):

Code No. Clocked !
A view of the scenic surroundings
Speed Thrills are Cheap Thrills - Dont try this !

Death of a Soldier

I came across the following poem in one the mail forwards someone had sent me. I found it worth sharing - so here goes !!

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the family,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Natha Singh has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And a pension, meagre & small.

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some Neta,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight to the skin.

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED YESTERDAY.."

Height of Dereliction of Duty

I was on leave in India from 05 May to 11 June 2010. Proceeding on leave in peak summer is not my idea of fun. The same was necessary as I had to appear for my MA (Final) exam which was scheduled during this period. After the five written papers I was required to face the viva-voce which was held on 11 June 2010. I had to extend my leave because of this as I was told that facing the viva was compulsory and I would not get the degree in case I absented myself. The test was supposed to start at 1000 hrs sharp at the scheduled venue. I reached that place at 0930 hrs and approached the venue incharge to request that my viva may be held as early as possible as I had to leave for Delhi by road since I was catching the morning flight to Muscat the very next day.
Having been assured that I would be amongst the first lot to be tested I waited for the clock to strike ten. And what a wait it was !! Around 1000 hrs there was a sizable crowd of youngsters, some with relevant notes for last minute study and all anxious for the viva to begin. There was no sign of the examiner till 1030 hrs and we were told by the venue authorities that he would be arriving shortly. The same response was given at half hourly intervals till 1300 hrs when “his highness” finally arrived and promptly settled down for “chai –pani”.
By this time I was ready to climb the wall in sheer frustration as the taxi which I had booked for travel to Delhi had already arrived and my better half was in a state of panic. When my turn for the personal interface finally came I was cheesed to the core and the examiner had to bear the brunt of my ire. I do not think I will get good marks in the viva as it was a disaster – but what the hell – this was height of dereliction of duty. Now I know why some teachers get thrashed by their students. Sadly, the lot who patiently waited with me were very docile and I had to be satisfied by the tongue lashing which I gave the examiner. Needless to say that we reached Delhi very late and spent a sleepless night owing to packing and leaving for the airport very early. How we made it in the nick of time is another story !

Timely Response & Quick Wits - A Prerequisite for Effective Security !

During the recent cyclone ‘Phet’ which lashed parts of the Sultanate in the first week of this month attendance of security personnel at their posts was very thin as many stayed indoors owing to heavy rains and overflowing ‘wadis’.
One enterprising security guard who was alone at one of our facilities (normally paired duty) thought he could make a fast buck and none would be the wiser. He drove off with some expensive automobile parts in his vehicle when his reliever reported for duty. The next day all hell broke loose when the workshop staff discovered that the said parts were missing from the shop floor.
The Security Manager in charge of that area went to the site and carried out an investigation which revealed that the guard in question had made a call to someone from a colleague’s cell phone. He could trace out the number which he called and came to know that it belonged to an auto repair shop in the neighbouring town some 20 kms away. He posed as a customer and asked whether a second hand ‘such-and-such’ part was available for his car ? On an affirmative answer from the other end he grew suspicious and visited the repair shop. He asked the shop owner if the part (a high end assembly) had been purchased by him from someone recently and informed him that the matter was under investigation (though it had not been yet been reported).
The shop owner admitted that he had indeed purchased such an item from the security guard whose contact details he had kept. The errant security guard was confronted with this information whereupon he confessed to the crime. The matter was reported to the Police and the culprit is presently behind bars (after following the due course of disciplinary proceedings). This incident has been given wide publicity so that it deters other personnel who may have a similar bent of mind.
It is not surprising that some mischievous elements are present in the large guard force we have. These are exceptions – the ‘bad apples’ in the basket. What is important is that such incidents have to be seen through to their logical end, the bad apples thrown out and wide publicity given for deterrent effect. Timely response and a quick witted approach by the Security Manager saved the day for us. The assembly in question had been sold for Rs 3000/- whereas it’s actual cost was Rs 36,000/-.

Sights and Sounds of Nature

Image via Wikipedia (Map of India showing Uttarakhand - in red colour)

I usually stay with my in-laws whenever I visit Dehradun. They live in the cantonment which is thankfully green and peaceful (and a couple of degrees cooler) as compared to the madhouse that Dehradun has become ever since it was declared the capital of Uttarakhand. Going to the city on an errand has now become such a pain that one tends to postpone the chore unless it is an emergency. Negotiating the 4-5 odd kms now takes an eternity thanks to the phenomenon of traffic jams, ineffective policing and indisciplined and rash drivers who deserve a sound thrashing for all the choas they create on the road. (What a pleasure that would be if I were so empowered - the thrashing I mean !!)
Living in the cantonment, however, has its rewards - especially the area adjoining RIMC - which is green and abode to a wide variety of wildlife. One does not need an alarm clock to wake up early in the morning. The cacophony of the birds does that job very effectively. Living in concrete jungles most of the time I had forgotten the melodious sounds which emanate from the jungles in Uttarakhand. I have tried to record these sounds in the following video clip. Turn up the volume and try to decipher the songs of the mynahs, bulbuls, koels, parakeets, wild fowl, sparrows and ravens. This orchestra starts everyday at around 0500 hrs and I am lucky to have a ringside seat. Living with nature could never be better !

SS 25 Monopoly at RBI, New Delhi !!

I visited RBI, New Delhi on 20 May and met the newly posted (some of them posted back to Delhi !) guys at the Protocol & Security Cell. Another welcome change is that Balli is back at the helm of affairs after his recent promotion to DGM (P&S). The atmosphere was certainly better than the last time I had been to this office. Yet another happy instance I want to mention here is that guys from my course, SS-25, the 'Shorty Silvers', are literally monopolising RBI, New Delhi. Capt B.S.Jaswal and Capt Sudershan Kumar are in the P&S Cell and Capt Tapan Chakravorty is in the Foreign Exchange Dept. Here are some pics that bear testimony to this fact :

From 'L' to 'R' - Sudershan, self, Tapan and Jaswal
Balli holding 'Center Stage' with Shorty Silvers

Back to Basics !

I left Muscat on 05 May on a month's leave. This is not the ideal time of the year to plan one's leave considering the mercury levels prevailing in North India. I did not have a choice in the matter as I had to take my MA (Final) exams at Dehradun (yet another example of self inflicted injury). The first of the five papers began on 08 May and the exercise will end in the first week of June with viva - voce. Since there were generous gaps between the papers I have been shuttling between Dehradun, Noida and Delhi. This time was also utilised for last minute mugging up and preparation. During one such spell I was cribbing that the subject matter was just not registering in my mind (signs of old age !!) when my niece promptly remarked "now, do you realise how kids have to cope up with exam stress ?" The answer is 'yes'. Its back to school for me and hats off to kids !!

World's Largest Body & Paint Centre

The world's largest body and paint centre was recently unveiled by our company at Ghala, Muscat. It was inaugurated by Mr Akio Toyoda, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation, the world's biggest automaker and third largest company overall. Mr Akio Toyoda is the grandson of Toyota Motor founder Kiichiro Toyoda. It is a massive facility having state of the art body repair and painting facilities. This is the latest addition to the humungous facilities as regards showrooms, service centres and warehouses possessed by the Saud Bahwan Group in Oman.

World Safety Day

28th April is celebrated as the 'World Safety Day' all over the world. We at Saud Bahwan Group also celebrated this day at all our facilities across Oman. All employees took time out for the 'Safety Pledge' (in Arabic and English) which exhorts everyone to ensure that the workplace maintains the highest standards of Safety and to minimize accidents. A dry run of the 'Emergency Handling & Preparedness Plan' was also carried out at our corporate center. A full fledged evacuation in coordination with the Civil Defence authorities is in the offing soon.

Conclusion of 'Anaqa' Training Programme !

Today marked the conclusion of the 'Anaqa' training programme series for the National Security Guards and Watchmen of Saud Bahwan Group. The programme was conducted at a place called 'Sur' which is about 200 kms from Muscat. It took six months and 26 programmes to cover the entire National staff strength of nearly 450 personnel. This journey has been a roller coaster ride in terms of coordination, administration and delivery. Feedback from the target group has been very encouraging and the impact is also visible. We are now gearing up to take this initiative to the next level ! Some pics taken today are attached :

Our HR head handing over the 'Do's and Dont's ' booklet

to the participants.
Introductory formalities !

The class in session.

Group Photo with the last batch