Appraisals

I hear a lot of this talked about in many contexts.

Every employee worth his two cents awaits eagerly for the results to come out!
Feels like each is sitting on the edge of the chair. Well it's a question of honor, status, performance or vice versa for all the three factors.

Since it's an annual feature around this time in most organizations, one can expect mixed reactions from members of staff.

Even if there are set standards and parameters in place to carry out these appraisals to look professional (read impartial), there will still be some disgruntled voices heard due to expectations not being met.

Such a tricky thing the human mind is. Till the last minute the mind hopes for the best. When the results are known, it becomes a Kurukshetra (the name of the battle ground where the Pandavas and the Kauravas fought - Epic Mahabharata) of emotions.

The resultant pay hike and/enhanced designation can be broadly classified as below:

1. Only nominal pay hike
2. Nominal pay hike but an enhanced designation
3. Good pay hike
4. Good pay with an enhanced designation
5. Fantastic pay hike with a prestigious designation to match

1. Only nominal pay hike -
Means you are where you were but some hike to factor in the rising cost of living has been put in place. Such guys will feverishly start looking for new openings and sound generally bitter about life until they find a better opportunity. They may not change their jobs due to reasons of continuing to work for a brand name in the same sector or due to a hassle-free transportation or due to matters of the heart or may be due to familiarity with surroundings/work schedules or plainly due to fear of the unknown.
There may be many more but these come to my mind as I key in.

2. Nominal pay hike but an enhanced designation -
Means you are ok. You can do better. So not much pay hike but an enhanced designation to boost up an otherwise sagging morale. If this guy is rich and lives by titles alone, he will be a happy soul, otherwise this one too will start searching for jobs sooner or later with the new designation prominently flashed on his CV! He feels better than Case No.1 until he gets out of the present organization, i.e.

3. Good pay hike -
Good going. Means your performance is appreciated by the management but you should improve further to go into the next slot.

4. Good pay with an enhanced designation -
Reminds me of the cat who just had cream! Lucky guy. You have got what any working individual always wants!! After all everyone works for the moolah and the mala (garland, not some girl by that name), anyday.

5. Fantastic pay hike with a prestigious designation to match

*This is the stuff dreams are made of.
*Mother's blessings.
*Fulfilling father's ambition.
*Grandma's topic forever.
*Spouse's pride until next appraisal time;
*Kids joy - dreaming of bigger pocket money and exotic holidays during vacations;
*The envy of some relatives.
*Envious colleagues (What has he got which I don't have; God is blind; Good people are never recognized for their good work; Wondered why butter was always in short supply)
But do you think this guy will stick to the same place? He will try his very best to be made the chief of all he surveys! After all he has tasted success and someone high up knows he's got what it takes. This is the motivation he has always needed to look for an even better and bigger slot.

It is common knowledge that there is an exodus from organizations after appraisals are made public through official channels.
Remember appraisals have meant movement for at least 5 to 10% of the employees. If movement is inter-city then there could be less issues. If it is inter-state or international then from one place to another for the working class could mean a different set of planning altogether - it usually throws the family life out of that big open window;
if his wife is willing and working/not working, she agrees to accompany him to his new place,
if they have school-going kids who are in a good school near their own little heaven, then there are two sets of expenses, besides those travel expenses to catch up with one another,to be contended with each month - one for the master and one for the dame who lives with the kids.

Some self-explaining combos for this word:
Raise
Up-rise-al
raise-(h)ell

The one who remains unaffected by any of the above and puts his heart and soul into work, leaving the fruits of his labour to the master above, in good faith and utmost trust, is indeed the true karma yogi. We have less of those!!

Cheers

Mahalakshmi

The Fight And The Main Issue

I have noticed this so often that it's second nature to know the result of a fight soon after one starts.

Scene 1
Civic Issues

The auto driver of Chennai never flags the meter 'on' but agrees to ferry a passenger for a fixed amount of say 100/- after coming down from his demand for 150, 130, 120, 110...
On the way the driver starts 'asking' the passenger which place he 'actually' wants to go and starts complaining that this was not the destination that he thought was agreed upon!
The passenger keeps on explaining and the driver keeps on complaining about how this distance is longer....
By the time the destination comes, the fight becomes unbearable. It's about who has stronger vocal chords and gets away with how much fare. If the passenger wins he pays only 100 despite the driver shouting and fighting. If the driver wins he extracts a bigger amount than 100!
Focus is to extract more but the fight is about, 'I told you.. No, you din't.. May the street smart person win.

Scene 2
Office politics.
There is a problem with some facility at office. The administrator takes no notice of it even though he may be very much aware of the problem which is 5 or 6 years old. Whenever new entrants 'discover' the problem they are referred to and complain about it to the admin who sweetly promises to 'look into it very soon' but never does anything about it, as usual.
There's an accident about to occur and the matter is brought to the notice of a higher up in the hope it may see daylight. The higher up responds to the issue with sincerity and promptness but copies the instructions on to the administrator whose domain it is anyways! Back to square one. The problem still exists but the new entrant gets enlightened about the 'proper' channels to go through for addressing them - he also gets to learn that he is a marked man from then on for by-passing the important chair of the administrator!
Here the faulty facility which could prove fatal to anyone is not the real issue. The real issue is with bloated ego, meaningless heirarchies, drawing up 'territories' where no one is allowed to question putting even our jungle lions or tigers to shame!


Family Issue:
Errant son.

A well wisher of a family may try to bring to the notice of parents matters regarding their errant son. Any parent will outright deny that any such thing exists, even though it may be common knowledge in the inner circle.
The parental instinct to protect the son is seen. The son gets 'aware' of this protective ring.
Then starts the emotional blackmailing by the son because he 'knows' his family knows, yet will never expose him for the sake of family honor. The charade goes on until a girl-friend or the newly wed wife of the son makes the same complaint, makes it heard and stands by it!!
Focus here is not to reform the erring son but to reform the informer into thinking that something is actually wrong with him/her.

That's life for us mere mortals.

Mahalakshmi.

Kolam - Creating A Design at your Doorstep

This is the one I drew for Monday.

This one I drew for today - Tuesday.

Kolam is a Tamil word for drawing a pleasing design in front of your doorstep. In the northern India it is called Rangoli in which color powder is used. In one of my older posts I had written why a kolam is drawn.

It gives me a lot of pleasure to draw a design every morning. Its a ritual among us to decorate our front yard through a kolam which is drawn with fine rice flour or lime powder or a chalk piece.

I asked a mason to fix a black granite slab at the doorstep just so that the kolam looks brighter than when drawn on a mosaic floor.

Early mornings are reserved for sweeping, mopping and creating an interesting design on the wet black granite slab with a wet chalk. This gives me a brighter result.

I don't plan any design. As I draw it takes shape. It is a free hand though designs which are traditional are repeated on certain days.
I go by the numbers or dieties attached with the navagrahas - the nine planets for each day of the week.

Sun - sun-like spikes design or a sunflower for Sundays.

Moon - on Mondays - usually a design based on the lotus or any beautiful flower or any beautiful pattern as moon is a personification of the goddess mother.

Mars - a personification of Lord Subramania-muruga-arumugam. I draw a six-sided pattern on Tuesdays. See the photo for today's kolam has a six-petalled design.

Mercury - Anything goes for Wednesday but as it is the planet which represents Lord Vishnu, whose consort is Maha lakshmi, it could be about flowers.

Jupiter or Guru for Thursday - Anything goes for this day so I give myself total freedom to draw any fancy design.

Venus on Friday. It's got to be very traditional like a lotus design or a square plus some curves on top to make it attractive.

Saturn on saturday - 8 is the number associated with saturn, my designs are basically ones in which 8 lines or dots predominates.

I have attached two pictures taken on Monday and Tuesday's patterns in this blog. Shall try to capture a picture each day and upload it for viewing. Though I am not an artist, I take pride in putting my best effort each day. It all depends on my mood that morning. And I just love the rural or rustic designs with simple lines and zig-zags with dots to highlight the pattern.


Cheers.

Mahalakshmi

The Bitter Gourd Creeper

Last year around this time saw me busy with major repairs to our flats' common areas. I asked the workers to leave a narrow patch of land intact for me to attempt some gardening on our side of the compound. My husband is very good at growing a patch of garden. He worked along side his father who retired as the director of agriculture in Orissa some 40 years back.

His interest and knowledge is great in the subject.

Both of us planned to coax the hard and unresponsive soil to allow growth of some plants. We had put up a wire mesh fence above the compound wall to obstruct view from the neighbour's house with creepers like jasmine and money plant. Nothing seemed to work for almost 10 months. We had decided to dump our fruits and vegetables waste into a small pit and covered with soil. This was our green attempt not to load the local garbage bin besides manuring our tiny garden. I would keep aside all the water which I would use to wash vegetables and rice, etc. instead of letting it go down the drain (recycling waste). That water would go into the small patch. Every morning at cooking time we both would do this with such joy and commitment.

Last month I had got some bitter gourds from the market. It was good and the seeds looked sturdy and healthy. So my husband prepared a nice place to plant them in. He also planted the jasmine which creeper came up well. Some spinach varieties. Some tomato plants, some pumpkin seeds. All in a small patch of 8ft X 2ft soil.
All of them came up to say hi and gladdened our hearts. But alas many din't make it as other plants dwarfed them out of their fair share of sunlight and rats too were nibbling away at the tomato plants which would appear shredded the next morning after they peeped out so expectantly from the soil.

Then it was as if the jasmine creeper was struggling to compete with the bitter gourd. My husband tied a criss cross of wires and thin coir ropes. The creepers spread their tentacles so beautifully and a few weeks later we could see yellow flowers with baby bitter gourds hanging. The first batch of 250 gms was harvested last week and another this week. They were so tender and juicy and not at all bitter!

Some have green fingers and thanks to their efforts we all enjoy the fruits of labour. I share a picture which my son took and framed the vegetable in red.

We shall keep at it forever and leave as little carbon print as possible.

Mahalakshmi.

Project Completion At Last!

For weeks I was tied up with the nitty gritty of tying loose ends of a 2 year long project report for a hotel here.

I am glad it is over and done with except for some finishing touches here and there.

I recommend each undertake a project once in their lifetime. Its such a powerful feeling to acquire in-depth knowledge about systems and procedures of an entirely new department as far as I am concerned.

I was thrilled to bits to search the net for information, write from my own experiences if it is relevant to the subject, adapt it to a hotel requirement, cross check with my boss whether it was ok and finally write it crisply.

There is no greater joy than having seen through the finish of a project. Despite so many obstacles and my being on the verge of giving it all up, I din't let it go. I wanted to stay there until it was submitted to the concerned people and that is being done today by my boss. I hope she has a successful test run today.
I am heaving a sigh of relief but I am already on to planning 4 projects in my mind.

It's been quite a long time since I sat down with a few hours to spare for writing my thoughts what with the maid servant being away for a fortnight now. She has come back and taken charge. Bless her for being such a great support to me otherwise I would be cleaning house instead of writing this blog.

Mahalakshmi

Summer Vacation for my Maid

I know I can't work peacefully without her help with housework. I like my house help because she does not talk much. Does all agreed chores in 45 minutes flat which might take me all day and yet I might leave some work for the next day!

I look for opportunities to give her things.

Work load was too much and I could not fish out 2 good sarees to give her, in lieu of the Solar and Lunar eclipses towards the beginning of this year. But yesterday I did that before she left on her summer vacations!

She never absents herself. But does take long leave during summer and pongal holidays to go to her mother's which I never grudge. Anyway what is the use of grudging her the long leave, when she comes regularly for the whole year.

This time too she told me last week she wanted to take leave for 15 days off starting from today and I just smiled! After 15 days I will have my angel back so I will manage without her with a smile.

I gave her the salary for this month so that she can spend it at her village. I could find two good polyester sarees with bright borders and gave her. She was so happy. I have decided to send her with a smile whenever she goes on vacation. Its better this way for both of us to feel pleasant and not make her vacation a nightmare because I don't like to struggle with house work!

I am lucky that all of us at home pitch in whenever the maid is absent.
I feel good that she keeps me informed of her long leave and always returns back on the date she says she will come.

The only drawback with her is she will come to do the chores anytime between 11.30 and 4pm!! I have not been able to correct this in her. I think we have to live with that as long as she works for me.
At least I can feel comfort in leaving the kitchen in a mess and not worry whether she will come for the day or not like most servants nearby.

Mahalakshmi.

Cats And Roosters

Our next door neighbour has taken a sudden interest in sprucing up her garden (they are blessed as they live in an independent house) and raising some fowl like hens and roosters. Three of them roam around, fly over walls, escape into our compound or roam on the road freely, looking for worms, insects or grains thrown as waste from the opposite grocer's shop.

What a racket they raise all the time, yet their early morning call at the crack of dawn is so sweet and so welcome. Our neighbours are muslims. In urdu the early morning call for prayers is known as 'Azaan'

As usual, there are a few roadside cats looking for a free and tasty meal. They are more of rowdy tomcats. I have written about them in my earlier blog too. The roosters are pretty careful not to get too near them and manage to scare them away by cackling loudly. So far nothing has happened. Yet at times I can see the expression on the cat's face which may read like "What an interesting meal this one will make me, slurp, slurp".

Maybe the cat is letting the fowl fatten some more!
Once or twice, I saw the neighbour shooing away the cat. What irony indeed. She too is waiting until the right time to enjoy its meat. For whom it is destined, only God knows because - 'Daane daane pe likha hai, khaane wale kaa naam' which loosely translates as 'on each grain is engraved the eater's name'. Only in this case, it's not about grains. Indeed.

Cheers.
Mahalakshmi