Something that happened to a friend of mine compels to make this post.
My friend works for large TELCO as a senior Manager. His wife, about 8 months back left a local firm she was working for a long time as a commercial executive, joined the branch office of a Japanese IT company excelling in Peripherals as a back office Executive. The nucleus family of the husband, wife and their kindergarten going daughter lives in an apartment in downtown Cochin. True to most of the youngsters of the day, my friend and family belong to the ‘upward mobile Indian’ citizenry.
A month back my friend’s mother got involved in a car accident. On their way to a famous pilgrimage center, the car in which she was traveling with her daughter and son-in- law met with a nasty accident. She was badly injured in the skull and underwent surgery soon after, at a nearby hospital. Later, she was shifted to a major medical facility at Cochin and she is undergoing recuperation, after swinging right and left many times, giving anxious moments to my friend and family. She is saved mainly duly to the timely, selfless and continuous intervention of a surgeon friend of us.
Due to mother being hospitalized with serious up and downs, my friend and his family were required to attend to her at the hospital. Both applied for leave from the job. Whereas my friend got the leave sanctioned, it was not allowed for his wife. The Japanese company manager told her that she hasn’t completed her probation of one year and the leave cannot be sanctioned. If she has to go, she could resign and go, she was given the ultimatum and was forced to resign from the job.
This sets me thinking. At one end we are talking about humanity, corporate Social responsibility and complete happiness of employees etc in modern companies, and at another end, we see such drastic steps being taken by corporates. Instead of consoling the employee for the great difficulties that she was undergoing, inhumanly, she was given the boot. It looks like in this Japanese company nothing else but performance mattered. ‘Productivity and profitability at all cost’ looked to be its mantra. How very sad!
This is a true outcome of the globalization that we are undergoing. These global giants and economic super powers had entered into India to capture the market with the sole aim of making money and nothing else. All they want is Indian market share. They are not worried about the ‘bloody’ Indians. The attitude that these companies management displays to its employees is that to slaves. ‘We are bloody paying you, shut up and work the way we tell you, else, get lost’ is the dictum. These companies do not have any compassion for its Indian employees. They are here to make money and the numbers matter to them, nothing else.
Amply, we see the pressure of these MNCs telling on its workforce in India. Money is there but happiness is not there. It is work, work and work. These guys are stressed out a lot. They have time for nothing. Life swings between the agony of slavery and the ecstasy of dollars! Medical problems (both mental & Physical), family problems (the warfare at home resulting in split homes), divorces, single parenting, alcoholism, etc are on the increase. In the end, these MNC employees will need all the extra money that they had saved to resolve crisis in life such as above.
Is this what we call life? Does it really make any sense to you?
Thursday, September 18, 2008
IS WRONG RIGHT?
It is some days that I had blogged. Activities are hectic both at job and personal front. There are so much of activities but results are not often commensurate with the efforts put. Something is missing somewhere. It is time to introspect. May be the festival season would give time for that. Some level of re-thinking and restructuring is required on life, I guess. The only thing that flies by is time. There seems to be no time for anything. Often, one is forced to do things in half hearted manner due to paucity of time. Such things do not deliver any happiness or satisfaction. Time to take stock has come.
The news that one reads in dailies are confounding. Apparently every one is making money through means that are not credible, transparent and legal. The hardworking, meritorious, transparent and legal means to grow your business has totally taken a back seat. After the Himalaya Group and Santhosh Swami, the vernacular dailies are out with the story of a Sabarinath , who in very short span, had built up a huge fraudulent real estate and Financial enterprise using goondas and anti social elements to run it. As usual, sensations are built around the guy gifting BMW to girl friend!
The new Indian Express carried a story last week of the new Pakistan President with the title, “Mr.Ten percent is Pak President”. Short, rhyming and interesting title. As again, look at the way Zardari had reached the presidentship of Pakistan. Yes, he had reached there at the cost of his wife’s life. It is the sad and gory death of Begum Benazir Bhutto that catapulted Zardari into this high point in life. Though from traditional and feudal family, our man grew up in abundance, having things such as exclusive discotheque at home etc. Later, he married the most well-known lady of the world politics. When she was the Prime Minister of Pakistan, he was taking commissions on all deals that were happening in the country. He came to be called as Mr. Ten percent, for the cuts that he was collecting. I am sure his Swiss bank account must be stashed with funds. (Why do they need this much of money? May be, he could buy up people, army, politicians and Judges using the same). A couple of years back he was loitering in jail for criminal charges such as corruption and Murder – Benazir’s brother Murtaza is allegedly finished off by him, at least that is what Murtaza’s wife says-. What do one do, wish Zardari and Pakistan under him all the very best?
Look at what is happening in Zimbabwe. An old despot of a leader, absolutely unwilling to quit power. A country that was built and run by white men was taken over by Robert Mugabe and his socialist party about four decades back, to be converted into a messy, chaotic and pauper state. Everyone including Mugabe knows that nothing can be done by him to set right the maladies. He may need to have super human powers to restore normalcy in the country. The best is that he goes. But will he? One can only sympathize with the people of Zimbabwe.
The question therefore is, if there is a system or controlling power in the world (call it God, Allmighy, Godhead or whatever), which is supposed to take care of the villains and bring prosperity and happiness to the toiling masses, how come the villains are ruling the world now? A confounding and agitating thought indeed. What runs the world? Where is love, kindness and empathy gone? Where is the world leading to? What will happen to its people? Will truth, meritocracy, sincerity and hard work came back to prevail?
My guess is as good as yours. Amen!
The news that one reads in dailies are confounding. Apparently every one is making money through means that are not credible, transparent and legal. The hardworking, meritorious, transparent and legal means to grow your business has totally taken a back seat. After the Himalaya Group and Santhosh Swami, the vernacular dailies are out with the story of a Sabarinath , who in very short span, had built up a huge fraudulent real estate and Financial enterprise using goondas and anti social elements to run it. As usual, sensations are built around the guy gifting BMW to girl friend!
The new Indian Express carried a story last week of the new Pakistan President with the title, “Mr.Ten percent is Pak President”. Short, rhyming and interesting title. As again, look at the way Zardari had reached the presidentship of Pakistan. Yes, he had reached there at the cost of his wife’s life. It is the sad and gory death of Begum Benazir Bhutto that catapulted Zardari into this high point in life. Though from traditional and feudal family, our man grew up in abundance, having things such as exclusive discotheque at home etc. Later, he married the most well-known lady of the world politics. When she was the Prime Minister of Pakistan, he was taking commissions on all deals that were happening in the country. He came to be called as Mr. Ten percent, for the cuts that he was collecting. I am sure his Swiss bank account must be stashed with funds. (Why do they need this much of money? May be, he could buy up people, army, politicians and Judges using the same). A couple of years back he was loitering in jail for criminal charges such as corruption and Murder – Benazir’s brother Murtaza is allegedly finished off by him, at least that is what Murtaza’s wife says-. What do one do, wish Zardari and Pakistan under him all the very best?
Look at what is happening in Zimbabwe. An old despot of a leader, absolutely unwilling to quit power. A country that was built and run by white men was taken over by Robert Mugabe and his socialist party about four decades back, to be converted into a messy, chaotic and pauper state. Everyone including Mugabe knows that nothing can be done by him to set right the maladies. He may need to have super human powers to restore normalcy in the country. The best is that he goes. But will he? One can only sympathize with the people of Zimbabwe.
The question therefore is, if there is a system or controlling power in the world (call it God, Allmighy, Godhead or whatever), which is supposed to take care of the villains and bring prosperity and happiness to the toiling masses, how come the villains are ruling the world now? A confounding and agitating thought indeed. What runs the world? Where is love, kindness and empathy gone? Where is the world leading to? What will happen to its people? Will truth, meritocracy, sincerity and hard work came back to prevail?
My guess is as good as yours. Amen!
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