Category: Money

Good Work Brings Goodwill & Growth, Greed Results in Disgrace & Downfall

This evening, while recovering from a flu, I happened to watch a business documentary, “Downfall – A Case Against Boeing”, on Netflix. It was on recommendation of a professional associate, Seshu, who suggested that I watch this documentary. We were discussing the documentary in the context of how Galaxy Surfactants, the company that Seshu has devoted his professional career to, and Unique Mixers, our company which has been my Karma Bhoomi (place of action) for the last 21 years, have grown keeping the organisational DNA – principles and practices intact for over 4 decades. And how, on the contrary, when organizations choose to deviate from their founding fundamentals, disaster strikes. The unforgettable business lesson that I learnt from watching the Netflix documentary is, “Good work brings goodwill and growth, greed results in disgrace and downfall.”

We have all known Boeing to be a world class company – the Gold Standard in aviation, and a company known for its engineering and manufacturing excellence. Yet, when a company choses to comprise on quality (which in the case of Boeing airplanes has a direct bearing on the safety), for the sake of business and profitability, slowly but eventually it results in descent, and undoing of all the good work done over many years, hurting the business reputation beyond repair. The following is a short narrative of the Boeing 737 Max case study, based on the Netflix documentary and some reading.

Boeing, once synonymous with engineering excellence and innovation, has seen a drastic decline in its reputation and safety standards over the years. The company’s downfall can be traced back to a significant merger with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, leading to a shift in priorities and the organisational culture from that of quality and safety, to cost-cutting and shareholder value.

When Boeing began to lose it’s market share to Airbus, they decided to go all out with the hurried launch of the 737 Max, to beat their French competitor’s Airbus A320 Neo aircraft. To win over, Boeing ditched the idea of developing a new passenger plane, which would take a decade. Instead, it decided to update its workhorse 737. The pace of the work on the 737 Max was frenetic. One former designer on the team working on flight controls for the Max said the group had at times produced 16 technical drawings a week, double the normal rate. A technician who assembles wiring on the Max said that in the first months of development, rushed designers were delivering sloppy blueprints to him. He was told that the instructions for the wiring would be cleaned up later in the process. An engineer who designed the 737 Max Cockpit said, “The company was trying to avoid costs and trying to contain the level of change. They wanted the minimum change to simplify the (pilot) training differences, minimum change to reduce costs, and to get it done quickly.”

After its announcement in 2011, the Boeing 737 Max took its maiden flight in January 2016. The most serious problem for Boeing was a design flaw in the 737 Max that led to two fatal crashes, one in October 2018 and one in March 2019, that killed a total of 346 people, and led to a 20-month grounding of the aircraft only after the second crash. Investigations revealed that both planes fell to the ground under similar circumstances; an incorrect sensor reading erroneously activated the aircrafts’ new flight control system called MCAS, forcing the planes into an uncontrollable nosedive. Further analysis concluded that the design and certification process of the 737 MAX 8 was rushed; pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers were inadequately trained in the operation of the new aircraft, and several incident reports leading up to the crashes were not thoroughly investigated.

However, immediately after the crashes, the Boeing management, which was in full knowledge of the compromises that they had made, concealed the facts from the authorities. Instead, Boeing issued a brief statement after each crash, saying it was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life and offered its “heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones” of the passengers and crews, while simultaneously defending the aircraft against any faults and suggesting the pilots had insufficient training, until rebutted by evidence.

One year after the crashes, lawmakers demanded answers from then Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg in a hearing on Capitol Hill. They questioned him about the discovered mistakes leading to the crashes and also about Boeing’s subsequent cover-up efforts. One important line of enquiry was how Boeing “tricked” regulators into approving sub-standard pilot training materials, especially the deletion of mentioning the critical flight stabilization system MCAS. A Texas court eventually ruled in October 2022 that the passengers killed in two 737 MAX crashes are legally considered “crime victims”, which has consequences concerning possible remedies. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor wrote, “Boeing’s crime may properly be considered the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history.” The Justice Department settlement included a fine of $243.6 million, compensation to airlines of $1.77 billion and a $500 million fund for crash victims.

If that wasn’t enough, as late as January 2024, the door plug of a commercial Boeing 737 Max 9 came off as the plane was climbing, opening a large hole on the side of the plane, alarming passengers onboard, and raising new questions about the aircraft.

Boeing’s downfall is a cautionary tale of how a once-proud company can lose its way when prioritizing profits over safety and abandoning its core principles. It will only be befitting to conclude on the same note as we started, “Good work brings goodwill and growth, greed results in disgrace and downfall.”

PS : I had the fortune of touring with my family, the Boeing factory in Seattle, USA, in May 2018 and I had then penned a note then about this fascinating experience (the link to this note is at the bottom of this article). I never imagined that 6 years later, I would be writing this note which takes away all the good memories that I once associated with Boeing.

Additional Links

Downfall – The Case Against Boeing
Visit to the Boeing Factory

Can Money Buy You Peace and Happiness ?

Money buys you freedom in the material world. It’s not going to make you happy – but it will remove the set of things that could get in the way of being unhappy. It’s not going to solve your health problems, it’s not going to make your family great, it’s not going to make you fit, it’s not going to make you calm. But it will solve a lot of your external problems. It’s therefore important to go ahead and make money. You can save money, you can choose to live a little below your means, and you can find a certain freedom. That will give you the time and energy to pursue your own internal peace and happiness. The solution to making everybody happy is to give them what they want.

Source : Adapted from “The Almanack of Naval Ravikant”, by Eric Jorgenson

A Talk on GST , By Shri Jayant Sinha

A talk on GST by Shri Jayant Sinha, Minister of State, Civil Aviation At Tip Top Plaza, Thane. 14th July, 2017

 
  • GST call centers for support in every place
  • 8 central and 9 state taxes have been merged into GST. Indirect taxes
  • GST is a destination tax
  • Tax credit chain structure is formed
  • Alignment of invoices, invoice matching will bring about transparency
  • Complete Digitization of Process
  • Comparable to Aadhar meant for individuals
  • Consolidation of supply chain. Will make the system more efficient
  • Optimization of logistics, of manufacturing and warehousing. Reduction in cost structures. Will make the country competitive
  • State check posts have been eliminated. From 10 to 30 % reduction in transport time
  • More than 300 crores invoices per month will be uploaded on the GST system. Big Data. No other comparable data volume in the world.
  • Policy making will improve with all this Big Data available.
  • Fool proof compliance will lead to improvements in tax collection. Tax to GDP ratio is presently 16-17%. China is at 21%.
  • Increase in tax collection will help improve infrastructure, education, Heath care, defence.
  • 21 lac crores is the annual expenditure of Central goverment. Revenue is 15.5 lac crores. Expenses are higher than revenue.
  • With GST fiscal deficit will reduce.
  • Changes in constitutional structure carried out. It is a victory of Indian democracy. It couldn’t have been possible in other federal democracies such as US, Australia, Canada.
  • Similar to political integration that was carried out by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. GST has brought about economic integration.
  • Brought about a change in which business is conducted in the country.
Question & Answers
  • Input tax credit needs to be incorporated in the costing
  • Refund on tax credit will be refunded in 7 days, once filings start from September
  • HSN code is a global classification. In case there is a need for correction, HSN mapping will be dynamically updated.
  • Every GSTN account will be rated on compliance.
  • Ministry of finance has prepared an app for HSN code.
  • ICAI has a youtube channel on GST

Set Goals…

“If I have seen far, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of Giants”. God has been kind. I feel blessed to have been born in a wonderful and loving family; to have the best of education, and teachers who have touched moved and inspired; friends who have always stood by my side and encouraged; and colleagues who are supportive.

The one thing that has made a difference to my life, it is the habit of setting goals and an unwavering faith is Paul Meyer’s quote, “Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire sincerely believe and enthusiastically act up on must inevitably come to pass.”

“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire sincerely believe and enthusiastically act up on must inevitably come to pass.”
“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire sincerely believe and enthusiastically act up on must inevitably come to pass.”

Life was pretty much usual and routine, until one evening in the year 2006, when I met up with my childhood buddy, Vivek Savla. Vivek attended a program on Leadership and Management, and shared with me his learning. He asked me what my goals were. The first thing that came to my mind was about our manufacturing business, and I told him that my goal was to achieve a certain number in business, work hard, to be the best in the field. What else? he asked. I said I wanted to be happy, have a great life, have lots of money, take care of the family. He looked up to me and said, who doesn’t want that? That’s not a goal. That’s wishful thinking.

Honestly, I was lost, I really didn’t know nor did I understand what my goals were. Like me, many of us don’t realize the importance of goals. We don’t have goals because we don’t know how to set them. Often, it is the fear of failure that stops us from setting our goals.

Imagine watching a football game, with 2 teams and 22 players on the field playing the game – a football game with no goal posts. Imagine leading a life, where each day all that we do is get up in the morning, have breakfast, go to work, come home, watch television and go to sleep; wishing and hoping that tomorrow things will get better for us. But that seldom happens, and will not until we take control of our lives and our goals. It was that evening with Vivek, that I learned the greatest lesson of my life – “Set Goals”.

Goals give a sense of meaning and purpose to our life. Goal setting, along with careful planning provides a sense of direction to keep us focused on what we want and to work towards its achievement.

Our life has many facets – all of these can be classified in 6 major areas; personal, professional, spiritual, physical and mental, family and social, financial. For a meaningful and successful life, we should set goals in all of these areas.

For example, my personal goal is be a bestselling author, a motivational speaker, and coach. My professional goal is to take our company to a leadership position in the field of mixing equipment in India and across the world. My spiritual goal is to remain calm and

My Goals - 2015
My Goals – 2015
at all times; my physical goal to maintain health and fitness levels so that I can run the marathon at any given time;, my social goal is to touch, move and inspire all those who look up to me and to make a positive difference to their lives by sharing my blessings. To be honest, my reason for me sharing this with you today is to work towards achieving my personal and social goals.

Written goals are the seedbeds of accomplishment. The important thing while setting goals is that you need to write them, because writing your goals forces you to crystallize and clarify your thinking. It is said that the human mind has more than 60,000 thoughts each days. Writing down the thoughts which matter, helps you focus on what is necessary and keeps you on course. Written goals form the basis of measuring progress. Written goals produce motivation. Written goals form the basis of an action plan. Above all, written goals stimulate visualization.

Goals to me are SMART dreams. By SMART, we me Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Bound. A goal has be specific, it has to be clearly defined. A goal has to be quantifiable – something that can be measured, it has to be achievable and attainable within a lifetime, it has to be realistic – something that can be experienced in reality. Above all, the goal is a dream with a deadline for achievement. It is time bound.

How then do you set goals and write them? When you begin to set goals, write down your dream list. A dream list will have everything that you wanted to have – a loving family, a big house, promotion at work, more money; a dream list will have everything you would like to do – grow you business to the next level, enjoy a vacation at your favorite destination. Just write down everything that you would like to have and do, as if there are no limitations at all.

Once you have written your dream list, you need to write them down as your SMART goals.
For example, my dream is to have a BMW car. But my SMART goal is “To drive my own BMW, 5 Series, White Color, by December 22, 2017”. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Bound.
I am often asked, “If it was so easy, why don’t most people achieve their goals?”
The answer to this question is explained in my favorite quote, by Paul Meyer, “Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act up on must inevitably come to pass.”

The starting point of attainment of all goals is having an ardent desire. Your desire for the goal must be so intense that it will energize you to take action. It will give you the inner strength and drive to overcome any obstacle that lies between you and your goal.

The greatest obstacle that lies between you and your goals, is your lack of self belief. For achieving your goals, you need to believe in yourself and in your abilities. To overcome the negative thoughts and emotions that may crop in, you need to take complete responsibility for your situation. Once you accept total responsibility for your life, there are no limits on what you can be, do or have. Every step that your take with responsibility towards your goals builds your belief that you can set and achieve even bigger goals in the future.

Often people set goals, but don’t achieve them. This is because they don’t take the action required to achieve to goals. The most important aspect of achieving your goals is taking action, with enthusiasm. Having set your goals, you need to create an action plan for their achievement. You need to prioritize your goals, make a list of all tasks that have to be completed for accomplishing the goal, schedule time and set deadlines, create measures and standards to track progress, build the competency and skills required for achieving the goals, exercise self-discipline, identify obstacles and their possible solutions, identify people, groups and organizations who can help you in achieving your goals. Work hard to achieve your goals. There is no substitute to hard work. Action with Passion, Patience and Persistence is the key to achieving your goals.

My personal experience is that when you are absolutely clear about your goal, you do not even need to know where and how to achieve it. By simply deciding what you want, you will begin to get attracted towards your goal and your goal begins to move towards you.

Set Goals and take charge of your life. I’ll be happy to have achieved my goal through your’s.
God Bless

Life at Half Time

As another year of life goes by, the thought and realization that you are mid-way through life begins to dawn upon. Getting out of the thirties doesn’t hit you as much as the thought of entering into the forties. It seems to be the time, when life begins to question you –
What have you achieved?
What have you contributed?
Have you made the difference?
And above all – where do you go from here?

At “Half Time”, you need a “Time Out”. As we continue our journey in search for the answers – it’s time to reflect on the many gifts of life.

Thank God
One is thankful to God for his blessings of a loving and caring family, encouraging friends, inspiring teachers and supportive colleagues. “If I have seen far, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”

Set Goals
What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow. Our life is the creation of our mind. Set Goals. “Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon, must, inevitably come to pass.”

Never Give up
The journey of life has to be in pursuit of excellence. No matter how good you are, you can always get better – and that’s the exciting part. Never, never, never…never give up. “Koshish karne waloon ki kabhi haar nahin hoti.” (The one who tries, never fails).

Be Equanimous
Life is a journey – of ups and downs, of joys and sorrows. Life’s greatest challenge is learning to be equanimous in both pleasure and pain. The true measure of progress is our state of consciousness and the change this brings about in our thoughts, behavior, attitude, actions and responses. “Adversity introduces a man to himself”.

Life Comes Full Circle
Over the many years, one has realized that life is a great equalizer; what you give is what you get. Life is too long. In the end, life comes full circle. Circumstances and people will come back. Remember, “There is no witness so terrible or no accuser as powerful as conscience.”

Time is Precious
Money is a by-product of hard, honest work. Health is wealth. Our greatest gift and most precious asset is “Time”. And, while we may want to believe that we are at half time, none of us knows when the Referee decides to blow the whistle.

Have Faith
We often regret when things don’t happen as we plan them, only to realize later that it all happens for a reason. There is a popular Malayalam quote, “Njan pathi, daivam pathi” – it means, I need to do my half, the rest shall be done by the Lord.

Where Do You Go From Here?
Our life is on the line every single day. Each day, we script our story – through thoughts, words and actions. Every day we build our legacy, and everyday our eulogies are being written.
Going forward, one prays for good health, peace, and prosperity for self, friends, family; knowledge and values for children; and seeks blessing to be a good human being, a leader with the ability to touch, move, inspire and make a difference to the lives of those around. “Life is not about keeping or settling scores. It’s about understanding people the way they are. Above all, it is about choosing to use our life to touch someone else’s in a way that could not have been possible otherwise.”

“Success is in the big things. Happiness is in the small things. Meditation is in nothing. God is in everything.”

How Much is Enough?

 “How Much is Enough?” the thought first occurred when Purvi and I were enjoying the sunset over the Powai lake. It was amongst one of the memorable evenings that we’ve spent in the seventeen years that we have known each other. The lake is less than 20 minutes from where we stay. Yet, in the many years, we never experienced the solitude and the bliss, which we did that evening.
_________________________________________________________________

Leisure

What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs, And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can, Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.
                                                                                
                                           By W.H.Davies                        

________________________________________________________________

 “How Much is Enough?” the thought first occurred when Purvi and I were enjoying the sunset over the Powai lake. It was amongst one of the memorable evenings that we’ve spent in the seventeen years that we have known each other. The lake is less than 20 minutes from where we stay. Yet, in the many years, we never experienced the solitude and the bliss, which we did that evening. There was a sense of regret, even more when I realised that I couldn’t commit as to when next we would experience a similar evening. We are too busy – long working hours, an ever overflowing inbox, and unending work commitments; striving to maximize work done in the time available. It’s a story not too uncommon – something that most of us can relate to. But for once, the still waters of the lake, the mountain in the back drop and the splendor of the orange sunset, quieted the mind – as we asked each other the question, “How Much is Enough?”
Work is worship. Being ambitious, setting goals and working hard to achieve the goals is imperative. It provides a sense of direction and purpose to our professional life. It is only through work that we earn money, an essential and irreplaceable commodity.
The question here is about how much money is enough? For some, this question may not seem to be relevant at all, as they struggle to meet their everyday needs. I wondered if dad would have asked himself this question when he was of my age. Probably not, he could not afford to then. We’ve been better off; because in our upbringing, we were never deprived of the basic needs. Our children are more fortunate. It is no longer about the needs, it is about the wants.
The reality lies in the fact that a generation committed to saving has been replaced by one devoted to spending. Our basic needs now stretch beyond ‘roti, kapda aur makaan’ (food, clothing and shelter). Our wants have unending bounds – a splendid five bedroom apartment in South Bombay (SoBo) high rise overlooking the Arabian Sea, a BMW 740i, traveling club class …..and so on. We seem to have forgotten that there is a beautiful world out there, beyond what money can buy.
I decided to pursue the answer by discussing the subject with friends, family, teachers and business associates. Some of them answered in numbers, some in words, and some others had not consciously thought about the question.  For some, it wasn’t just about how much was enough for them, it was also about what their children would inherit. A friend asked me to watch the movie, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’.  It wasn’t long before I realized that there is no (universal) answer to the question. The quest however brought to light some invaluable insights, I wish to share.
Parag, a dear friend (he designed the cover page for ‘My Notes’), a few years elder to me, has identified ‘milestones’ when he would need money. Like, when purchasing a new apartment, and then when children (Disha- 9 years and Rishi – 7 years) would want to pursue higher education, and then at the time of children’s wedding. More importantly, he realizes that he would have enough time to get to the milestones as they are well separated – there is no need for ‘rat-race’. He doesn’t hesitate to skip office or work from home when his mother, who lives just a few minutes away, comes to see them, or when children want to play with mom and dad. “If Disha and Rishi tell me that they want to play a game of monopoly with me and Nikita, I don’t refuse, until and unless I have something very important to do. I don’t think they would ask me this question a few years later when they would be on their own. Neither do I want to regret not having spent enough time with my parents, and learning from their experiences. These moments in life shall never return,” he explained.
A business owner and a close associate, who is almost dad’s age, felt that he has much more than what he deserves. For the first twenty years of his professional career he worked with a private firm. “If I was still working with them, I would be drawing a salary of about a lakh (hundred thousand) per month, and that would have been more than enough for my lifestyle. Success in business has bought me two apartments; I own a Skoda-Laura and a Toyota-Innova. I couldn’t have asked for more. I continue to work, because I want to support my employees and my vendors, who also depend on this business. Our company bears all the education expenses for our employees’ children. Our employees enjoy medical benefits.” He was not sure if his son, who just started college, would like to take the business forward. “It is for him to decide,” he remarked.
Another son, elsewhere, preferred to inherit cash. His father, a respected professor, worked hard all his life and made a fortune in the coaching classes business. He owned and operated about ten branches in Mumbai with 2500 students a year, at the higher secondary level. The son couldn’t (or may be didn’t want to?) manage the operations (he wasn’t qualified enough to teach.). Unwillingly, and possibly because of parental responsibilities (obligations?) the father sold his stake in business to his other partner, insisting on receiving all the money cash-down. He handed over everything to his son, so as not to be blamed later. He was told that it wasn’t enough. The teacher taught two generations, but couldn’t educate his own child.
I recall another discussion, with one of my favourite teacher of schooldays (also an owner of a coaching class). He narrated his story and taught me an invaluable and unforgettable lesson, “Jayesh, I came to Bombay with virtually nothing. I was teaching in a coaching class and stayed with my maternal uncle in his one-room chawl (a poor man’s studio apartment in Bombay). I had a dream then, that one day I will own a one-room chawl. I worked hard for it.” After a long pause (a sense of nostalgia) he continued, “This four bedroom apartment that you are now sitting in, the classes and all that I can afford to buy is a by-product of the hard-work. Money is only a by-product of good work.” My teacher reminded me of Lord Krishna’s sermon to Arjuna, on nishkama karma (performing one’s duty for its own sake without thinking about ‘what’s in it for me’), “Be intent on the action, not on the fruits of action”.
Some people said that they worked hard all their life, but never got what they deserved. “Life has not been fair to me,” they complained.  I am not sure if someone had guaranteed us a fair life.
My best friend worked hard and realized his father’s dream of building a world class cold storage facility. Their tagline, “We preserve your trust,” is a testimony of the many years of toil and commitment to good work. Many envied my friend and his work – it was all well, until the day when the cold storage went up in flames. All that was built was gone in a moment, the years of goodwill was lost. “What is lost is lost. God has endowed us with two hands to work and intelligence to think – and that is enough to achieve our goals”, his determination only strengthened after the accident. He had learned the secret to earning enough.
While reading the book ‘India Unbound’, by Gurcharan Das, I found myself relating to the author who at the age of fifty decided to give up the largesse of corporate life. He took an early retirement and relinquished a plum position in a multinational company to pursuit his interest for writing. He was partly guided by the Vedic philosophy which has defined four stages of human life. Brahmacharya, the first stage, is the life of a student or a celibate. Grihasta, the second stage is the life of the householder. The Grihasta earns his livelihood by whatever a vocation befitting his being a member of his group, raising children, supporting his own family, kith and kin besides the persons performing their duties in the other three Ashramas (stages). Vanaprasta, the third stage, indicates the departure from material possessions. The man no longer takes part in the commercial activities and the woman leaves the running of the household to her daughter-in-law. People in this ashram play the role of mentors. The final stage is Sanyasa or renunciation; the person leaves society to spend the remaining part of his or her life in meditation and the contemplation of God in solitude.
The (unfortunate) reality of modern day life is that no one is able to (or wants to?) move out of the Grihastaashram. I talked to some who have retired from service; they said that they wanted to continue to work so as to keep themselves busy. Likewise, there are doctors, lawyers and businessmen who continue to work throughout life. “I would prefer to die with my boots on,” said an uncle in his early seventies, “it’s not about money, it’s about keeping the mind occupied.” They are happy to do the same work, which they did all their life (because that’s what they know best). They moved into the twilight years of life, satisfied (occupied?) with their families and work. “But now when the time has come for them to slow down, they find that they have missed the boat and don’t have a ‘third thing’ to fall back upon,” writes Bhavin Jhankaria in his thoughtful article titled “What is Your ‘Third Thing’?” Our ‘third thing’ is our talent, our passion for something other than work. More often than not, the third thing is compromised in the (so called) ‘interest of work’ and postponed to some time later. We never realize when it is lost.
A family member advised me to read the anecdote, ‘How Much Land Does a Man Need’, by Leo Tolstoy. The answer is known to all, but the extraordinary thing is that few are willing to accept it,  “Six feet from the head to the heels is all that is needed”.
How much is enough? Purvi and I are searching for the answers hidden in these stories. Our needs are limited and so is life.
______________________________________________________________________

 
 Dilon mein tum apni betaabiyaan leke chal rahe ho, Toh zinda ho tum
Nazar mein khwaabon ki bijliyaan leke chal rahe ho, Toh zinda ho tum
Hawaa ke jhonkon ke jaise azad rehna seekho
Tum ek dariya ke jaise lehron mein behna seekho
Har ek lamhe se tum milo khole apni baahein
Har ek pal ik naya samaan dekhein yeh nigaahein
Jo apni  aankhon mein hairaaniyaan leke chal rahe ho, Toh zinda ho tum
Dilon mein tum apni betaabiyaan leke chal rahe ho, Toh zinda ho tum
 -Javed Akhtar
               Hindi Poetry from the movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara          
______________________________________________________________________
                                                                  

Micky V/s Mini – Things Said When Shourya Was Born

“Another division in the Share of Wealth,” that is the first thing that I heard when the Doctor congratulated me on the birth of ‘Shourya’, our second son. I was so excited then that I did not pay serious attention to the spoken words. On after-thought I wondered as to why she would say so. I decided that the next time I meet her I shall respond, “One more creator of Wealth”. Before I could put my point across to the doctor, the pediatrician greeted me as I entered into his consulting room, “Second Time Lucky,” he said.
This was a shocker. I never expected doctors to have a gender bias.
As more wishes poured in, there were many similar statements made. From loved ones, from acquaintances and from some people who had no business to talk about it. I heard them all.
“Girls are limited liability. Gone when married. You need to give it all to the boys,” said an uncle blessed with two sons. As far as I know them, they are obedient, disciplined, caring and loving sons.  I wondered what made him say so.
“I now have a reason to work more, work harder. I need to build two empires,” Dad told Mom when he arrived home late the other night.  He had just found another good reason for putting in more hours at work.
“That’s two sixes in a row,” said one cousin. He was referring to our two sons, Maahir and Shourya.  In cricket, a “six” is the maximum number of runs that you can score in one stroke. What he meant was that we made the most from the two deliveries.
It was not long before I realized that the gender of a child is still (in the 21st Century) subjected to so many different interpretations. All of the interpretations were related to wealth; nothing that we have not heard of before. But what was surprising was that the comments were made by doctors, lawyers and industrialists, the apparently well educated, suave professionals of the modern world. These same professionals if asked in an isolated context would claim that they would never discriminate between a male child and a female child. Yet, somewhere in the deepest level of the sub-conscious there is a preference, an opinion which can be seen from what was said. It is also interesting to note that these statements were made to convey good wishes. The words were said when the person was in a positive, happy frame of mind. Hence, they would communicate the natural thoughts of the person.
We wished for a baby girl. We told Maahir that he would have a sister and we would name her ‘Mini’. But then God blessed us with ‘Shourya’.
“You didn’t know whether it was a boy or a girl when he was in Mom’s Womb,” stated Maahir.
“Sorry Maahir, we thought it would be Mini but it turned out to be Mickey”, I said.
He turned to me and said, “What difference does it make papa?”.
 
(R to L) Jayesh,  Maahir and Purvi with baby Shourya
As much as we would all like to keep away from any gender bias, there are times and circumstances when we react quite the opposite, sometimes unknowingly. Perhaps the doctors who made the statements only conveyed the reactions they got from the parents and family members they came across every day. It’s time that we make a conscious effort to change the way we think. Our country (India) has always been known for gender discrimination between a male child and a female child. And this discrimination shall continue until we are prepared to accept what the three year old child said when he saw his baby brother for the first time.

Micky V/s Mini – Feedbacks

Thank you all for your valuable insights on “Micky V/s Mini”. I had earlier planned to tilte it “Boys Will Be Boys AND Girls Shall Remain Girls”. That would have sounded more like a Gender Bias and so I decided to drop that title and replace it.

Vijay’s statement on “unconscious biases being more dangerous than conscious” is very interesting. We all have our share of so called “unconscious biases” which are contrary to our basic character and beliefs. I can think of many situations in which my unconscious bias has got the better of me. Its hard to think of a remedy. For now we can only be alert.

Deven has also conveyed an important message. “No child is ever bothered about division of wealth or assets. Its only the adults who make these things important” (as can be seen from the statements made in the article). Sharing Values is certainly more important than sharing wealth

It’s true that a girl and a boy would compliment one another – girls are always more expressive while boys keep things to themselves.Its always good to have a balance. It is therefore disturbing to read Mona’s story about ‘SCORING 5 GRANDSONS’