molosmojo

[molosmojo]

The first salary

Growing up, whenever I would find time, I would love going to my Dad's shop in town - we ran a metal business and I would go there and help him and my uncle out with various stuff at the shop.

At the end of each day, my uncle would give me 20 rupees, and while receiving that amount, I would be so happy - happy because, my expense those days was only 1 rupee a day for the BEST bus ticket and here I was, being given 20!

I would go back home and handover the 20 rupees to Maa and she would advice me to keep it one of those containers we had at our town home - I frankly don't recollect what I did with that money but aaah...I am sure, must have spent it on something!

Years later, when I was paid my first salary of 750 rupees in cash, I remember coming home and handing over that too to Maa...

And now, two decades later, my daughter Husaina, earned her first salary which was digitally transferred to my account and I transferred it back to her account almost immediately.... She quickly transferred the money back to me and wrote "Now keep it with u only. My money is not just mine, its urs only Mohammed".

History repeats itself, nahi...

Somethings never change in life...

All the best Husaina for anything and everything you do in life!

[molosmojo]

Maa

The day she conceives you, is mother's day The day her menstrual period stops, is mother's day The day that sonography report confirms she's carrying you, is mother's day The day she craves for any and everything while you are kicking her belly, is mother's day The day she goes through intensive labor pain, is mother's day The day she hears your first cry, is mother's day The day she holds you in her arms, is mother's day The day she feeds you for the first time, is mother's day The day you fall while learning to walk and she picks you up, is mother's day The day she scolds you for troubling her, is mother's day The day she goes to her heavenly abode, is mother's day.... Aaaah....I can go on and on and on.... For each day is mother's day - there's no one who would love you as unconditionally as a Maa would... Respect, Gratitude, Love and Peace to all mothers!

[molosmojo]

What's your BMOTD?

Aaah, there comes one more abbreviation! So, BMOTD for me is Best Moment(s) Of The Day! We so often get caught up in what we couldn't get done in a day OR what has been troubling us through the day, that we sometimes forget to reflect on the good/positive/simple moments in a day. For the last 2+ years, I have had this practice of going to bed with a reflection of "what were the best moments of the day"... And these were never any BIG moments, they have invariably been little things that bring joy, peace and love..... Moments like: Cooking a meal for your loved ones An afternoon siesta A hearty laughter for no reason Sometimes even doing NOTHING, especially on weekends Recently, I was on a Temple Trail in SoBo and just being able to visit some of these places of worship, that I had not been to for a long time, was my BMOTD....or even enjoying that Thali at Pancham Puriwala alongwith Aamras....what else do you need for a Sunday lunch! While yes, there's always going to be some or the other stress at the end of the day, but just being able to reflect on the little moments of the day, makes it worthwhile! So, tell me, what's your #BMOTD today!

[molosmojo]

A smile on your face

Every time I walk down for my late morning or afternoon hashtag#chai from Netscribes, I see a bunch of roadside food stalls that sell snacks and meals. There are at least 4 to 5 them in a line just outside our building at Lower Parel. I mostly get my dabba for lunch but there are times when I step out for lunch and usually prefer proper eateries. Having said that, each time I pass these roadside foodstalls, there is this one specific lady who has always had a smile on her face and throughout the duration that she puts up her stall, she somehow manages to retain that smile. For all the times I have seen her, she would greet me with "how are you sir", "would you want to eat something sir" - and just because of this gesture, there are a few times that I have actually had my lunch at her stall at a nominal price. If it weren't for that smile and her gestures, I am sure I would not have eaten there - yes, the food was indeed palatable but it was that smile that brought me there! I am sure she would have her own struggles, own set of challenges coupled with her having to stand on the road in the heat and pollution and despite all of this, she still has her spirits high. We all have our challenges, our struggles, our own limitations BUT what we also have is our ability to still be ourselves and spread a smile, it does not cost much!

[molosmojo]

Life

...and here comes my 350th write-up - I have been writing short real-life stories since 2012 and look where I am, today!

Through my last write-up, you would all know that I was in Jodhpur last week.

Jodhpur has been part of my growing-up days given that my paternal aunt was there and plus the fact Dad has had his first-cousins in and around Jodhpur.

During this last trip, I had travelled to a nearby city called Pipar City (an hour's drive that takes 2 hours!) and while I was there, I went to meet one of Dad's cousins - he must be 8 to 10 years elder to my Dad.

I went to his house and spent like 30 minutes - he was sharing some old stories from the past. His two sons (my second cousins) too were there and we were having a good time. He in general was suffering from a stomach pain and had not eaten properly for a couple of days.

I left from there and then came back to Mumbai a day after. Within a day of coming back, I was in my living room when Dad came to inform that this cousin of his was no more - I just sat there and thought to myself that I was with him just a couple of days ago and now this... I then called-up his sons to offer my condolences and shed tears when they were speaking about their father.

We all know that we are here for a limited time - no one knows what is going to happen in the very next moment.

Till the time you are here:

Have no regrets - take that risk and do what your heart tells you to

Have no fear - no one is going to remember you for what you could not do - be fearless!

Have no qualms about what other's think of you - most people are clueless about their own lives but have an opinion on other's life - no one knows you better than your own self.

LIVE LIFE - you never know when your time is up and hence, in each of your moments here, Love yourself first and LIVE LIFE to the fullest!

Wishing everyone a happy, meaningful, crazy, full of LIFE, 2025, in advance!

[molosmojo]

The positives of hybrid model

We were in Jodhpur at the start of the week - I had both my sisters along and we were talking about my cooking skills. Most of my family members (and few of my colleagues too) have enjoyed some of the delicacies I have been cooking this year. My elder sister was telling our younger sister how good the Mutton gravy was when she had it at my place, a month back.

The younger one was like, "when do I get to taste some of the food cooked by you" - my reply to her was "soon".

I returned to Mumbai a day before these folks came back and I thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to cook something for my younger sister when she returns home from this Jodhpur trip.

I decided to make Daal Gosht (lentils with meat) for lunch yesterday. I marinated the meat in the morning itself and had soaked the lentils too. Given that I was away for a few days, there was some backlog which I had to clear in the early morning time and soon it was going to be mid-day when I was in back-to-back calls till late afternoon.

With just 20 minutes to my first call of the day, I entered the kitchen and started the prep work and put the meat for slow cooking. I got my laptop to the kitchen and logged in sharp at 12pm for this call while I continued to stir the dish. I told my colleagues that while I am on this call, I am also cooking in parallel and had turned off my video.

While on the 12pm, I was doing both, giving my inputs on the call as well as managing to put the meat to pressure cook. Post 8 or 9 whistles, I turned off the flame and let the pressure release before I added the semi-cooked lentils into the pressure cooker for another 3 to 4 whistles. By 12:35pm or so, when my first call got done, I was also done with cooking Daal Gosht and I did not open the lid of the pressure cooker until 1:15pm or so.

My younger sister reached home by 1pm and freshened up while even I got done with my calls by 1:30pm and we straight sat for lunch. The comments from my younger sister on the dish made all the efforts, worth it!

If not for the hybrid model, I would not have been able to cook and serve a fresh meal on a weekday for my sister who had come back home tired - while yes, there could be many flip sides too to work-from-home, but getting this balance, is certainly one of the positives!

[molosmojo]

It is all about the Xperience!

Starting last year, I was intrigued to work out of some of the co-working spaces that are available in Mumbai (and some times even in Pune).

My first co-working experience was at Awfis Space Solutions Limited - last year, they used to have these 4-seater, 6 seater cubicles which offered a dedicated seat for someone like me who would book a day-pass. It had it's own dedicated AC which is helpful to control the temperature, as per convenience. It offered a good dry pantry which also accepted pre-booked lunch/snacks orders in addition to the packaged food items.

As #Awfis started leasing out more and more spaces to larger players, they somehow reduced their focus on Day-pass members and after 3 to 4 months, some of their centers stopped giving those cubicle spaces and instead started to use their reception area and say "here's a table in the common area, this is what is available for a day-pass user".

I slowly started to avoid going to #AWFIS as one of their customer service mentioned openly that day-pass is not their focus - my question to them is, then why do you even give this as an option when you cannot deliver an Xperience to your customer?

Post that, I have been visiting one of the WeWork India offices in Mumbai and that is a decent Xperience - offers a dedicated space, own plug points - that is all one needs, some privacy! I have also been frequenting 91Springboard and they too offer a great Xperience (I would say much better than even a #WeWork).

I was not wanting to go to office today and decided to try working from a new (for me) co-working space called Innov8 Coworking by OYO - I booked my seat and was looking forward to explore this space. But, as soon as the security guard escorted me to the common area and said "here's a table, this is what is available for a day-pass user", I was already switched off.

Some of these players, show fancy images of the workspace but fail to tell you that as a day-pass user, you would be made to sit in some common area where it makes (at least) me, extremely unsettled - look at me, I already had a to-do list but instead, I am investing time in writing this article.

In our quest to do BIG things, we forget that joys are always in the basics, in the most simplest of things! It is the simple things, that deliver an Xperience!

[molosmojo]

Oh Google Maps!

One of my friend's dad passed away yesterday - I was finishing my breakfast when I received a WhatsApp text from another friend about this sad news. I immediately called him to check what time is the prayer meet but he too had limited knowledge.

I directly called up this friend, offered my condolence and asked him about the timings - he mentioned that the burial will take place by 10:30AM at #koparkhairane. It was 9:10AM in Kurla. I quickly got ready and left by 9:30AM and decided to check what time does Google Maps show to reach Kopar Khairane from Kurla - maps showed me 1 hour 23 minutes and in my head I was like "WHAT - it cannot take this long" - then I checked the route and for some reason it was showing the longer route via Thane-Rabale.

I decided to ditch the map and go on my known route via Vashi and I was there in flat 35 minutes; 48 minutes lesser than what maps was showing me. This route was not even showing as an alternate route on maps and I wonder why!

I was there at the graveyard by 10:10AM - exactly an hour after I got the news, first.

We can make as much progress as we wish in enabling tech or AI or anything else, but something tells me that you can NEVER beat human intelligence. PERIOD!

Happy 1st Monday of the last month of 2024! Didn't this year just go by in a jiffy!?

[molosmojo]

The ceiling fan

We moved to our Kurla house back in 2005 and had done a false-ceiling in our living room – the ceiling fans, of course, were purchased brand new too.

Ours was a top-floor flat with a terrace above us – however, in a couple of years, the builder decided to raise another floor for which he dug-up the entire terrace and then it went into litigation with the tenants and work stopped. For years, that roof leaked during monsoon and then it slowly started to damage the false ceiling and rusted the ceiling fans – we kept doing basic repairs each year to ensure the ceiling fans are maintained and are able to do their job!

Over the years, the false ceiling finally reached the end of its time, and we had to break it down and we decided not to make a new one now – while, we still retained the same ceiling fans.

A few weeks back, while sitting in the living room, suddenly one of the ceiling fans dropped from its hook and came down by a foot or so, still hanging on to the electric wires – we called Dad who dismantled the ceiling fan and kept thinking how to fix it back with the hook detached from the ceiling. Each day he would keep doing something or the other, like plastering the ceiling, fixing the fan to another electric point to see if it is still functional.

He managed to fix a new hook after a week or so and plastered the ceiling and let it dry down for a couple of days. Then he fitted the fan back to the wires, but the fan did not function – something in it was for sure damaged. He finally called an electrician to fix the fan who fixed it in two days’ time.

We were relying on just one fan and the AC in the living room for the last 3 odd weeks but yesterday, the old ceiling fan was back and it felt nice to see that Dad did not give-up on the fan to replace it with new one.

Sometimes, we too are like that ceiling fan – we are at our best at the start and then we need timely maintenance and upkeep which keeps us going. From a company perspective, when your old ceiling fans breakdown, don’t think of replacing them, just yet – give them time and be patient with them, they for sure still have a lot of life, left in them!

[molosmojo]

Decide for yourself!

I was in my XIIth standard when a friend mentioned that he had enrolled for hashtag#iGNIIT from NIIT and this was going to be the next big thing - I had no idea what software programming was but there I was, enrolling myself to a three year "life changing" course. While I did complete the studies, I never got excited by software programming, having learnt .Net, C, C#, C++, SQL - none of these gave me a kick. Towards the end of my third year in commerce, a friend was pursuing his Chartered Accountancy (C.A.) and he came and told me about it - I too wanted to do it, just because he was doing this and I thought to myself that "he must have already thought through, why do I need to worry". Luckily it did not go through and saved myself from accountancy. However, luck would have it and my first job was with a C.A. firm where I was an Audit clerk; checking vouchers, making P&L statements, filing returns, et al. But then, I started to decide for myself.... I was having a good stint with Capgemini but came back to office from the July 2005 deluge and decided to quit. I decided not to work anywhere for a good 4 to 6 months. I decided it was time for my first start-up, back in 2006 and also my decision to shut it down. I decided it was time to move on from Ugam in my first stint just because I felt my manager was an *****. I decided to quit Netscribes in my first stint because I had larger problems to solve back at Ugam. I decided to pursue my hashtag#EX Certification and be an Implementation Consultant for clients. I decided to quit Merkle DGS because I just could not relate to myself anymore. ...and there are many more decisions both on the professional and personal front. When I look back, the only decisions I regret today are the ones that I did not take for myself because I let someone else decide for me. As for the decisions I have taken for myself, yes, some have failed and some have succeeded BUT I have never had any regrets of taking those decisions. Decide for yourself and own your decisions and never regret taking any decision(s).

[molosmojo]

It is never too late (or even too early)

My daughter turned 18 last month and was requesting to get her driving licence in place for both, two wheeler and four wheeler. She finally started her driving classes today. When I look back, I started to learn driving a car only at the age of forty - that is when I bought my first car too. I took my first flight only when I was thirty - as against my daughter, who flew for the first time at the age of four. I had my first bicycle when I was perhaps seventeen or eighteen - my daughter had her first bicycle at the age of eleven. I started taking interest in cooking only in my mid-thirties - my daughter has a passion for cooking for the last three to four years. I had my first laptop experience only when I was about thirty - my daughter(s) have had a laptop from age twelve or so. While yes, there is a craze for iPhones, but I have never had one for myself - but, my daughter already has an iPhone at age eighteen. There could be perhaps a few more examples around the fact that each person has their own journey and everything happens, when it is their time. Sometimes, we get caught-up in the comparison race, not realising that whatever is meant to happen, will happen, eventually - no point telling someone "look at that person, how successful or unsuccessful he/she is". You would be where you have to be, just at the right time for you in life! It is never too late (or even too early)!

[molosmojo]

When light chooses you

I usually go for my evening chai at a tapri (stall) below the office - couple of days back too, I had gone for chai.

This tapri has an elevated platform and I usually stand on top of it instead of waiting at the pavement. As I was sipping my garma garam (hot) nagori chai, I was about to trip from the platform and suddenly a person had come in to order his chai and in the nick of time, I put my right hand on his shoulders while still being able to hold on to my chain in the left hand.

That person turned around and looked at me, I just smiled and told him "if not for you, I would have fallen for sure, with my chai".

My nephew, who has had four failed attempts at the foundation course for C.A. (Chartered Accountancy), finally cleared in his fifth attempt today - he too was this close to falling, but.... God had different plans!

It also takes me back to earlier this year when I had no offers in hand in the last week of my notice period and suddenly within a week of moving out, I had an offer curated for me - God for sure had a plan!

While we all seek light and perhaps get dejected or disappointed when we do not see the light; it certainly hits you differently when light itself chooses you!

Wishing everyone a very happy, prosperous and a light-filled Diwali!

[molosmojo]

Meeting the right people!

My dad's business was doing fairly well but they were still operating from a single shop and often would have challenges around storage of raw material. Back in the late 80s, they happened to meet one of their suppliers by chance and had a great business relationship with him. One fine day, he approached my dad and uncle and told them that "I have this raw material but no one's willing to buy it - can you buy this from me and pay me later?" The quantity was in tonnes and both dad and uncle said we cannot store/keep this in our shop given the limited space there. This supplier said, what would you need? They said perhaps a godown nearby would be helpful but we don't have the money to buy the godown right now. That supplier immediately gave them money and asked them to go ahead and purchase a godown, which was finalised in a week's time itself. Their business only flourished after this and they were able to purchase two more shops, two more apartments - there was practically nothing stopping them. Looking back at my journey, I am reminded of how I was coming out of my CA boss's cabin when one of my colleagues (and now best friend) just randomly asked me "would you want to join Capgemini!?". The rest, as they say. is history! When the time is right, when it's God's will, he sends these people in your life that changes things, forever! Who are the people that have been these God sent people in your life? Would love to hear!

[molosmojo]

It only takes one bad apple!

My dad moved to Mumbai in the late 60's, after failing in his 8th grade - he heard the news on his way back home and he immediately, in that moment itself, decided to move out of his native place and come to Mumbai. Dad is sharp and was always the Math freak - he would do all calculations in his head, within seconds. Dad's elder brother was still completing his studies and he too moved to Mumbai after a few years. They both were working for someone before finally they decided to start their own shop back in the early 80's - in a few years, their business flourished really well with both dad and uncle being sharp and honest businessmen. In a few years, their younger brothers too joined them and the business flourished even further. After over a decade or so, first, one of the brothers moved cities, so he moved out of this shop, then one of the other brothers moved out because of some differences. It was again left with my dad and uncle, who had started this business. Soon, the next generation came into the picture with Uncle's son joining the business in the mid-90's - he was laid back, lacked business acumen, was hot-headed and there would be frequent frictions at work - it was getting difficult for dad to be continuing there and upon the turn of the new century, by early 2000's, dad too had moved out. From what was once a flourishing business, was reduced to a mere shop still living on past legacy but had lost most of its customers. Looking back, it just took that one bad apple, to ruin! On this Dussehra, hoping that we are able to keep the bad out and focus on the good!

[molosmojo]

Attention Please!

Now, that I have your attention, any guesses what this would be about? Many years back, a year into my new role as the HRBP, we were receiving lot of grievances, challenges, especially with our business functions - while I was gathering feedback, I realised why not create something like a live document where stakeholders can enter their grievances on an "as and when basis" and bucket them under pre-defined areas. While deciding on the name, I was like what should this tracker be named and out of nowhere, I decided to name it as "Attention Please" - and that name itself, found a place on stakeholders minds and they started using it almost immediately. On a weekly basis, I would go to the tracker, filter all the feedback for respective teams, and then work with the relevant stakeholders to highlight the feedback and also work on a solution. For any specific feedback, if it was not possible for us to act, I would go back and update the same in the tracker that perhaps, we will have to live with this for now. At the initial stages, while the name pulled the stakeholders to the tracker, after a while, when they saw action on the ground, it gave them the assurance that their feedback was being heard and that they were getting a closure (either ways). This process had also pushed me as the HRBP to not just depend on the feedback in the tracker, but also connect with people across levels to both validate the feedback and also seek their suggestions. In the process, I never realised that I had gained their trust too. After a point, we had other mechanisms to gather feedback but people knew, that their feedback was being heard, was being acted upon. What was personally satisfying for me was that we were able to impact people's lives by just doing our basics, right! What is your story of getting feedback and acting on the same?

[molosmojo]

That positive energy....

I was at my desk, when Nisarga came and said "Mohammed, can you write an article for me for this month's newsletter, because someone has backed-out." My joking response to her was "I cannot write!" She looked at me and said "okay, give me one article for this month" and I immediately agreed. She left with a smile on her face. I am usually in office by 8AM or so and at that time, the only people in office are perhaps the frontdesk and our house keeping staff - as soon as I enter, I greet them Good Morning and ask them "kya haal hai, sir" (How are you?) - just that one gesture puts a smile on their faces, especially the house keeping person who smiles back at me every time we cross paths in the office or in the corridor. On most of my virtual calls, at every opportunity, I would sing songs in certain situations and it automatically lightens up the mood and there are happy faces - of course, they have to bear with my pathetic singing but, kya hee kar sakte hai ab! Either at work or on the personal front, sometimes we do not realise what our actions can do to someone's mood or behaviour in that moment - while yes, it is not always possible to keep the spirits high, but when you can be anything in life, be that person who spreads that positive energy. My personal experience tells me "what goes around, comes around". That one smile you put on someone's face, has a cascading effect! When I hit the send button last Friday, I was sure I am putting a smile on Nisarga's face and soon as she received this article, she messaged me confirming the same!

[molosmojo]

The Masoor Pulao

For the uninitiated, Masoor is Red Lentils!

While Maa would always cook at home, as a kid, I was surprised when Paa too would cook - although he could cook limited stuff and knew what he was good at and where he struggled.

I would always just wonder as to how difficult it would be to cook - the entire process, the proportions, the combinations and the patience; I never thought I could cook too, it was almost impossible for me.

I had started slow observing Maa and Paa - with tea, then eggs, then vegetables, then meat, then rice, then flour - I have taken years to reach where I am today with my cooking but now when I look back, cooking is so much fun, I get a high each time I am cooking, I get so much SUKOON (peace) each time I am cooking.

From Biryanis to any gravy - I am fairly confident now. When I learnt how to make chapatis (Indian flat bread), I was so happy.

Today, I made Masoor Pulao - I never thought I could cook this but when I got started, it just happened and the Masoor Pulao turned out to be awesome with the kids giving it a 10/10.

So why am I boasting about my cooking skills here?

Compare this with anything you see first and think to your self - oh, this would be difficult, I for sure cannot do this or learn this.

BUT, only if you get started - take that first step and perhaps you can learn so many things. None of us came learning anything from our mother's womb - that AI specialist or that Data Visualizer or that coder, everyone took that first step of learning, trying, being vulnerable, open to fail.

Just like cooking, there are so many things out there, waiting for you to explore!