Super-specialization anyone??

Whew!! Almost 6 months since my last post. A lot of things have happened in the meantime- significant, life changing events!! But I will pick up something fresh and of interest to all Indians. Yes, of course, I am talking about the century of centuries. But haven't we heard and read everything that is to be said. Talent, dedication, hard-work and humility. What's more to say? Well, a lot more, a lot about the way Sachin personifies a shift from way Indian middle class thinks. Now, let me explain.

The Indian caste system was designed to encourage specialization. A farmer's son was supposed to be a farmer- a specialist in farming. The plumber's son would be an expert in plumbing. Now, before you jump the gun and shoot me for supporting casteism, let me clarify that I am not supporting it here, definitely not in it's present form. All I am saying is  like many other bad things that we have come to associate with the Indian culture, it had a good intention behind it. The concept was to encourage super specialization and at the very  core of it was supposed to be the concept of "dignity of labor", which unfortunately became a tool for caste based differentiation. It ruined a beautiful forward looking concept to an agent of oppression and exploitation.

Even after half a century of independence, India hasn't been able to let go of the evil. The middle class especially in the urban India, always aspires to be part of the upper class. However, with the aspiration to become the boss, the supervisor, the manager comes the price- the price of not becoming the expert. A developer is expected to become a lead and a manager- not a better developer. Pardon me for bringing this example from IT but I am sure you will be able to find parallels in every profession. You haven't made it large unless you become a manager. And it is fuelled by middle class aspirations to rise up the "class chain" and not just become better in what they do.

Now how does Sachin fit in? He, after a few years of amazing batsmanship, was slated to become the captain of the Indian team. He was the senior and was expected to be good at things other than batting. He had to become better and the only way to do that was to become the captain. Well, that was not the plan of destiny. After a few failed attempts Sachin realized that he was good at batting and that is what he should be working at. He got better at taking on world's best bowling attacks and tear them down. And in most cases, inspire the whole team. Who can forget the unravelling of a mystery called Shane Warne by the whole Indian team led by the little master himself. Any who can forget the smashing of Shoaib Akhtar in the World Cup match. Probably he has contributed more to cricket as a batsman than he would ever have, becoming a captain. I am not taking anything away from the captains and also not suggesting that becoming a leader is bad. All I am saying is becoming a leader is a skill in itself and we shouldn't consider it as an extension or the next step of our specializations.

Probably, its time for people to understand that the only way to grow is not to have more and more people reporting to you. You could be a specialized sniper and be more important than the general (a la Enemy at the Gate).

But like all revolutions, it will take time. And well before that happens, we will see the magic fade. We have only a few years left of the magic, skill, and mystery that is Sachin!! All we can do till then is enjoy the flourish and marvel at the straight drive.

Thank you Sachin, for letting us experience bliss!! 

R.I.P., Steve Jobs!!

The world will never be the same again. The most public face of innovation of our times- Steve Jobs, is no more. This marks the end of an era and here is my tribute to the man who brought technology closer to human lives and made it what it should be- simple to use.

A lot has been said about Apple products. People never get tired swearing by it. But for Steve Jobs, the world, possibly, would have never known what Personal Computers could be or what a "click" could do. Or more recently what "pinching" on a screen could achieve. The list could go on for a long time, but Steve Jobs' biggest innovation, in my opinion, was bringing the best in class to ,well, the classes. Apple started off as a niche company, bringing the best products to only a few who could afford them. That was however till, iPhone changed all that. Arguably, the best smartphone built to date, it was as simple as it could get and was priced at a very affordable $200 (with contract of course). It brought Apple to everyday lives of many. People witnessed what best in class was and how technology could fit into their lives and their pockets. Aspirational didn't just remain that. It became experiential.

But this is not just about innovations. Steve Jobs and Apple wouldn't have been where they are today if it were just innovations that they brought to the lives of many. 3M brings about more innovations that touch more lives. What set Jobs apart has more to do with a powerful human emotion- he was inspirational. An adopted kid, he dropped out of college to create Apple. Thrown out of Apple, he came back and took Apple to greater heights. His trip to India which made him realize that Edison did more for the world than Karl Marx and his Indian spiritual guru, he spent the rest of his life doing more for the world around him. The commencement day address at Stanford (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA) remains an all time greatest inspirational speeches, where Jobs talks about keeping yourself hungry and foolish.  A great inventor himself, he put death as the greatest invention of life that weeds out the old and makes way for the new. It was these very ideals that make the life and times of Steve Jobs inspirational to people from all walks of life- students to CEOs.

Today, as the world loses a great human being, even Steve Jobs' detractors can't hide their admiration. The world takes a bow.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs!!

And so the Cookie crumbles!!

This was pending for a long long time. I had to take up the public stage and say something. So, the obvious question- why did it take so long? Well, a number of reasons, the most weird being- I couldn't find a suitable title for my blog. Have you heard of a more lame excuse? Come'on, it's true. And I, being a self proclaimed perfectionist, had to have a blog name that was unique, and I, being a late entrant into the blogging world, didn't have too many options left. But after a few clicks on "Check for Availability", I realized that whatever name I choose, the success message after the Availability check would be a significantly good enough measure of uniqueness. And behold, out came the word "Jib-berish". Why? I don't know, but let's keep that aside for the moment. As important as it may sound, it's definitely not the reason why you should be here spending your precious time reading this.

So, lets start. What do I talk about? I am not a natural talker. My wife and 90% of people who know me would say, who doesn't know that. Well, I always say, I don't talk doesn't mean I can't talk. I can talk nonsense and more than you can imagine. Again, my wife, but this time, only 10% of the people who know me would say, we always knew that. Hence this is to prove to the rest 90%. And this again brings me back to the word "Jib-berish" or gibberish because it seems absolutely perfect as a title. This is exactly what you should expect, mish- mash of thoughts, ideas, views, sometimes contradicting and mostly without any rhyme, reason or logic, something you would have already felt reading through till now.

One more important thing before I forget, do give me "your" two cents. Words of encouragement, advise and critiques. Good or bad, I will at least know if someone is reading this. On a serious note, I would sincerely like to write about things that would make an interesting read and worth your time.

So, now that all the formalities are done with, I hope to have something more meaningful and interesting next time you are here!! 

Till then, take care!!!