BOBKANNAN BLOGS

Three years he lived in USA and back in India, got a chance to go to the same place and also to the same house for stay on a month's duty after a year. Yet there was no excitement in the youngster and he finished the trip mechanically and officially. I was in a similar situation three decades ago to visit Baroda, after one year of leaving Gujarat after eight years of stay in Gujarat. Right from the time I was assigned the job, I planned my travel/meeting/events other than official to relive my happy days. With the advantage of not having telephone or easy communication like email my visit was a pleasant surprise to many. When I look back and compare the two I wonder what is so different then. It is one syllable word 'Technology'. While the distance travelled by youngsters are too long today they still do not feel the separation from home due to Google talk, Skype, email and other communication facilities. Above all there is no compulsion to be cut of...

"Mumbai Jati Gujarat Express" was all that I heard sitting in the first class waiting room, and glancing at my watch I rushed to the train in the same platform and jumped into it and sat down in seat no 7. As the train immediately started moving I also heard in the announcement "Ahmadabad Jati Gujarat Express". I banged my head for my stupidity of getting engrossed in the novel of James Hadley Chase (my all time favorite) and entering a train not knowing whether it goes to Mumbai or in the opposite side to Ahmadabad as both the trains reach Surat almost around 11 am. I was new to the job as officer in the bank and also new to Surat and the training in Mumbai made my first class travel a dream day. But all the happiness vanished as I did not know which direction the train is going. None challenged my seat in the jam-packed train gave me the comfort that it is my correct seat yet I was apprehensive.  There were four passengers facing each other. Tw...

On a holiday to Pattaya in Thailand on a deep sea dive I ventured to catch fish. Touching the ground I struggled to stand as waves from many directions hit me hard and the oxygen mask too getting loosened needing attention. Ultimately sea water entered my mouth and I rushed out forgetting the fishing. Politician in power is similarly placed with pulls from many directions jostling and support systems not helping in time yet there is a compulsion to achieve goal of development with no option to back out. A police head can be strict, uncompromising, stern and even authoritarian and demand obedience. People would appreciate it as they are at home with a dominating personality as policeman.   A politician needs to compromise, negotiate, cooperate, consult, bargain, hold parleys and ultimately establish his authority thro widely acceptable decision. Even a dominating politician dominates after the above process. If people are honest, (ha ha ha !!!!!)   a police Head h...

Perspective is a bundle of viewpoints with choice of angles for individuals. Prudence, maturity and good judgment are the ingredients of discretion. In decision making involving discretion there is always a battle with perspective. A decision is viewed as bad, prejudiced, favor or disfavor  based on perspective on which it is seen. Here below is a classic case of a decision viewed as blatant favoritism but having another perspective.                                 Again Ram escaped a transfer from Bombay and people who were transferred far away were fuming. Complaints flowed to the Officers' Union on partiality, favoritism, nepotism and what not and even some of the top executives received appeals to intervene and render justice. It is a perennial issue for the bank, having more branches in rural/vill...