Friday, April 20, 2012

The Ideal World


I have heard and read ample number of times that Indian society is a good society... We respect family and elders. We have strong belief in the institution of marriage and we are at a moral high-ground. 
On the other hand, we say western society is very individualistic. There are no joint-families, children leave home at 14-15 and crave independence. 


By theory, we are right... This is an ideal world, where people care for their elders. Institution of marriage or commitment remains valid. People care for 
their offspring, give them the right moral education... This is indeed one kind of Utopia. 


But, is it achievable? Then why do we have so many cases of molestation, child trafficking and rapes in India? 
Is our society too restrictive and expects too much from a mere mortal? 


We have too many rights and wrongs, too many taboos and things not to be shared. We believe, it is improper to drink in front of your parents. That you 
shouldn't let your elders know if you smoke. That pre-marital sex is a sin. That marriages are forever. And these topics are beyond discussion. 
We believe if you don't tell kids about birds and bees, they won't know. 
That celebacy and proper conduct is guranteed till you wed them off... and it is not just possible, but unquestionable... in this world of information. 
And then we are as startled as a deer in spotlight, when we hear that a guy closeby raped his classmate.


On closely looking and experiencing the bad, western world, I get more drawn to it. The world of openeness. You are allowed to do all that you want, as long as you don't hurt anyone. You know where your limits are and you are allowed to tread as far as them. 
Isn't it better to allow pre-marital sex than the rape statistics boasting a "moral" society? 
What is wrong in skimpily clad women, if you are sure you have sane men?
Isn't it better to be divorced and start life afresh than living a suffocating marriage?
What is wrong in independence and individualism, if you are sure everyone is taken care of?


In my ideal world, there would be far fewer rules, but far stricter punishments. Do whatever, you want to YOURSELF.. smoke, drink, dope, suicide... don't as 
much as dare hurt anyone.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

And so the scrum works

There is a software delivery model "Scrum". The primary hypothesis for this model is that people are responsible individuals. They can manage and lead themselves and don't necessarily need someone telling them exacly what needs to be done.
 
In my project we have been following this model for sometime now. It was never questioned, untill recently. Sometime back I was asked who leads the team, in short, who should we blame if something goes wrong. The answer "we all are" does not seem satisfactory. Someone should be, there should be one person accountable, responsible... blaimable, I am told. And then there were a ton of reports to be maintained, shared. To show that we are working diligently. Name one person, don't you dare say 'Scrum team'.... there has to be a way to tweak things... a bit...
It used to annoy me untill recently...
 
I was living in a utopian world, believing that people are responsible by default. You ruin them by managing them. I could never really understand the need for control. 

I like to believe that everyone is good, responsible, careful... And hence, everything would fall into right place. But, what if this belief does not work, even for one person? Ideally, you should be able to counsel, mentor, make someone realize the importance of sincerity. What if it doesn't work? What if someone is just not capable? Despite trying, someone is not able to pull through? There are several ways, an employee cannot deliver the ideal, expected result. Are we capable enough to handle this? In an environment, where we work on minimum costs, and on no extra labor, do we have the expertise to handle soft-needs? We like to say that we work for 9 hours, do we actually work for 9 hours, all round the year? 

There are several people who know that company would not fire them, unless they screw something really badly. Being incompetent or lazy ain't reasons enough to lose your job. So, some would not wake from their slumber at all, and hence, someone else would shoulder all the responsibility. Does the idea of Utopian world remain valid then? And it is not specific to any one company or project. It is the truth of Software Industry all over India. I have not seen any company laying of people at any point in India. Does it mean all employees are good? I have seen hopeless people being entertained, knowing that they are not doing anything. Because, client is billing for their presence? And because we hate being the bad guy and saying, 'You are not doing anything'. I have seen some poor souls being slaughtered to work. Does the idea of Utopia work then?

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

No words

Perpetually bored, constantly irritated
This is how I can be described
Isn't it dear?

Too demanding, very unclear,
Mixed signals and unpredictable, 
You wonder what I want or do you?

Your Life ain't that fun any more,
Do you also see it other way round
Or is it drowned in the ever-important-call

Is co-existence so difficult,
Or are we too stubborn, to change
too perfect to adapt?

Or is it just a side-effect of being too good otherwise,
Too nice to others, too sweet to deny,
Guess someone closer has to pay the price.