Is the grass always green on the other side?

"grass is greener on the other side" so the saying goes...

This holds true in many situations in life.. Especially when, u have just ordered food in a restaurant and the stuff on the neighbouring table looks more appetising :P

My post is dedicated to the current thought in my mind.. marriage v/s being single... Just penning down my musings on this topic...

Being single definitely has more advantages:  leisure time for urself..no one to answer to..free bird who can flirt with anyone :P .. No committment hassles... Ekdum  tension free life.. However, once u delve deeper in this "status" .. Ur happiness maybe short lived if you are a sentimental-romantic sort of person, then the frustration of ur phone not ringing, no companionship etc, can get to ur head.

Married/committment friends always say that being single was fun etc.. But am sure this doesnt hold good for everyone... At times, u need a companion...someone to come home to...someone to take care of u and vice versa..someone to laugh with, cry with, love etc....

Being married means solid companionship in every aspect of life.. Enjoying the roller coaster of life with someone whom u can turn to everytime..

However, what if the partners turns out to be the anti-thesisnof ur dream spouse?? What if the "spark" in ur wedding goes kapuuuttt!!  You are stuck in an endless abyss of monotonousness and boredom!!

Next question which arises in my mind is arranged marriage.. Although i strongly believe in it, i cant shake off the negative feeling of the uncertainity associated with it.. For example: how do u say "yes" to a person after meeeting him for just an hour or so.. What if he doesnt turn out to be compatible wiht u and u have no option of calling it off?? Getting my drift?

Still, hope against hope is prevalent since its my decision and the only option i have..

Running a Automobile Business....

 My career's fate got sealed over a couple of drinks with my mom and friends at dinner. The announcement of us bagging the Maruti Suzuki Dealership was a shocker and i never anticipated the Pros and Cons of the same @ a huge level!  So, i chucked my dream of a second PG degree from a scottish university and plunged headfirst in the family business :)

Penning down my experiences so far on this wonderful vroooming journey of selling happiness :)

Selection Process and MSIL: Mom waltzed through the selection process with ease. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (hence, reffered as MSIL) follows strict protocols in every aspect as it conforms to the japanese style of management. From the CEO till the shop floor worker are dressed in uniform and no deviation from this is allowed.
The HO @ delhi is worth visiting. The ground floor is a showroom for all maruti suzuki models and suzuki motorcycles. their canteen serves simple yet, tasty lunch for all its employees.

The selection process is based on many parameters and applicants are scrutinised from their social status till the tax papers.. from the family members till the market reputation. a detective agency is hired to do a third party check on the short listed applicants. People owning Land are highly prefferred since, cost of acquiring land (hence, project cost is lowered).Final interview is taken by the top honchos at MSIL.. It is like facing a firing squad wherein the questions are fired consistently from a 8 member panel.

Setting up the Dealership/Construction/Recruitment:

Note to Budding entrepreneurs .. when u estimate your project cost will be 'x', you should keep '2x' as reserve/backup. The project cost and time always escalates when u start the practical application of your business plan.

MSIL has a Corporate Identity (CI) manual which lists how the showroom must be constructed. Example: where the customer lounge should be, which colour sofa should be fixed, how much meter long should be the reception table etc.
It has vendors fixed and we are supposed to source stuffs from them only. Talk abt Huge commissions from an ALL-INDIA basis ;)

every plan needs to be approved by the dealer development officer (one who eats ur life to keep the work on track on behalf of the management of MSIL).

If one survives the onslaught of every minute detail to be photographed and mailed back to ur MSIL office, then the dealership is on right track....:)

Investing in a good digital camera is a super awesome idea if anyone is starting a new dealership. :)

Recruiting was fun.. and by Lord Balaji's grace i got a super readymade team on the first week of the rec. process.  Many technicians from gulbarga had migrated to other cities in search of work and when the new dealership was announced, they were happen to return back to native where the cost of living is super less and they r able to save some money.

MSIL Business Units : Pre-Owned Cars-True Value.. Maruti Driving School..Services..Bodyshop (denting and painting).. Maruti Genuine Parts and maruti genuine accessories...Sales are the strategic business units within a dealership.

Every SBU has own set of rules set by the company and every Territory Sales manager thinks that the dealer is neglecting his dept, not achieving the targets, lacks in Human resources personnel etc. ... handling many such TSM's makes a dealer CEO definitely go bananas!!! :P

Diesel cars, their waiting period and customers baying for dealers blood :)

Swift is an iconic brand and product. i never got the reason of the mass hysteria it causes. Gulbarga customers are so funny.. they dnt knw why they want this car only..but they just knw they want it.. because, my neighbour/brotherinlaw/ uncle has it.. convincing a diesel engine customer that it wont suit ur requirements (if u dnt run a diesel car minimum 30-40 kms a day, then the maintenance and cost of car which is 1.5lk more than petrol will kill u )

waiting period concept is not understood by anyone here, they think we are manufacturing cars in our own workshop and hence i get to hear, dekhiye na madam, ek toh gaadi hoga stockyard mein :P :P

Every person in glb claims to be friends with my dad and begs for discounts. once, i had  fight with a customer over a body cover. some customers are exasperating without limit..


Bodyshop : when u see beautiful cars smashed up badly, u feel so sad and concerned about the people in it, are they safe or not...alive or dead etc? however, after this feelings wanes away.. the happiness of getting more business sets in :P :P mre the damage more the labour charges and parts consumption!! guess, business is business after all :P

Delivery of cars : you feel so happy when u see a customer taking delivery of his car and when he greets you with sweets and thnks for the perfect car delivery :)

My staff : blessed with super awesome staff at Lahoti Motors :) every one sticks up for one another and treat eachother like a family member. Regular parties are thrown by the mgmt and many team building exercises are done :)

In a nutshell, Selling cars isnt that profitable, but servicing is where the moolah is..:) but,jab tak we dnt retail.. no new cars in market...no new hits and accidents..no used cars.. it is a vicious cycle :)


MSIL dealer conference: We get accomodated in awesome 5 star hotels in exotic locations and 3 days of fun masti begins!! conference dozes us off.. but the cocktail night is super rocking... where a celebrity singer sings away to glory :)

My business in a summary... :) :)

after effects of romantic novels...!!

mills and boons...silhouette.. danielle steele.. nora robets...julie garwood etc. etc...!
after reading a beautiful written romantic book..the feelings invoked ranges from pure bliss...till lustful.. till dreamy eyed and so on... the power of a gr8 written words can move u to tears and actually makes u dream abt ur would-be guy..!!
@ times, the whole fantasising abt mr right.. who will sweep u away is contorted to suit indian sentiments ( my personal feeling)..
oh i am dying to meet my prince charming.. have a super hot torrid romance and then settle down with him..
whts the harm in dreaming ? right??
in some books.. the love making scenes are written soooo brilliantly tht it can give GOOD goosebumps and make u hot under the collar ( no pun intended ;) )..!!
more to follow soon..

Farmville.....!!!

One fine day on facebook (FB)..i found ppl sharing pics of their farms.! i was wondering wht is it all about?? then, i saw every one in my hostel logged in to farmville and sending me neighbour requests.. after royally ignoring them ALL.. i fell prey to it..!! yes, i succumbed to the pressure of joining the millions who play this farming game..!! this was all thanks to the irritating talks between my mom and sis..!! " hey, iam growing wheat today wht abt u?? ".."mom.. plz harvest my farm.. and buy me a tractor etc"..!!

my farm was up and running in no time thanks to the accumulated gifts sent by my well wishers!! ;).. i enjoyed ploughing, seeding, harvesting , plucking and milking !! ;)
As my farm grew bigger..it started consuming more time to manually click and plough/seed/harvest. Also. the need to beautify the farm was a challenging task...! to facilitate better mgmt.. i bought a seeder tractor and harvester..
every morning i used to think..oh my carrots have grown.. my trees must have bloomed..lols..
it can give u a depression if u aint able to access d net @ the stipulated time.. ;) or else ur crops will wither away..leaving with u with huge losses..!!

Farmville was truly a pathbreaking game wherein one had to strategize his/her moves so that maximum rsults could be obtained..and the level increases..!!
however..i bid adieu to this wonderful game because of my relatives quitting it FINALLY and iam bored to beg for more easter egss, gold etc.....
plz suggest more topics to blog upon !!
regards
anu

harmandar sahib @ amritsar..

just visited harmandar sahib ( d golden temple) in amritsar.!
I would highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking to connect with oneself and god ! no need of venturing in the wilds.. near d sea shore etc. u just need one trip to amritsar.. the place will give u ample opportunity to explore ur food fetish.. experience spirutiality @ its best and shopping to ur heart's content..
the temple is hugeeee and consists of 28 buildings in its premises.. the design of the complex is square in size and every corner as a water serving facility wherein the kar sevaks ( explained later) serve water in small plates.. the water is of high quality and u shall forget the taste of mineral water.!
the main temple is situated in the middle of a lake which is called as amrit sarovar (pool of nectar).. a dip in this water is considered very auspicious.! surprisingly, there is too much shanti here which is bang in middle of chaos called amritsar..
the temple reflects sunlight brilliantly and its treat to view it. after a entire parikma of the complex , I stood in the line of darshan. after an hr i got my chance to pay obeisance to the revered 11th guru of sikhs, the guru granth sahib !
there was no pushing and shoving inside the sanctum sanctorum.. unlike tirupati balaji and other temples , it was a peaceful connect wit GOD.. u could pay ur respects according to ur heart's content..
there was a team of singers and devotees who were sitting next to the holy book and singing their devotional songs ( am sorry i dunno wht is it is called.. :( )
the ceiling of the sanctum sanctorum has a huge chandelier.. and the roof is painted richly..
i step out of it with tears in my eyes... i had d most beautiful darshan and amazing experience! a sip of amrit from the sarovar completed the ritual..!!!
in evening one could just sit near the sarovar and loose oneself in time.!!
It is unimaginable that Indira gandhi could execute operation blue star in this pious place. the seat of sikhism..!! the kar seva ( wherein u voluntarily do work for god) imbibed in people there touched my heart strings.. LANGAR serves more than 1 lakh people a day.. and has 2 chapatti makign machines.. which roll and bake the chappatis.. amazing service done to god's men by kar sevaks..probably sikhs are the only people who actually follow their religion to the T.. whereas other people just speak abt it...
one more thing.. every person..whether male or female.. whether kid or adult.. has to have their head covered.. my dupatta slipped for a second and i had 3 persons adomonishing me for it.. !

after darshan, we had food @ the famed kesar dhaba.. the food was ok.. had high expections.. but only d gulab jamun lived up to it... the amritsari kulcha is worth dying for .. so crisp and baked to perfection...
kulcha land opposite MK international hotel is highly recommended...super sexad food..
will always cherish this trip to amritsar.. where one indulged in lassi @ ahujas.. fruit cream in lawrence road.. shopping of papad and wariyan.. punjabi jhuttis and salwar kameezes.. and yes trip to the wagah border.. the feeling of patriotism was immense ..!! seeing the no man's land and pakistan's border and land.. was WOW..!!

Why are healthy people shunned for wht they r??

22 years of my life.. till date has been a harrowing experience on one front..! issues regarding my weight! relatives, family and (thankfully only few) frds say " oh, the bangalore water has suited u so well", "why r u so lazy?" " my my.. u have grown couple of inches etc"..!!
the icing on the cake being i get lots of gyaan even from strangers and ppl who dont even make a damn diference to me...
earlier.. i used to feel pity on myself because of my genes am fat and healthy . i was totally convinced i was a no-gooder for sure.. thankfully, my inferiority complex hit a low ebb when i shifted base to bangalore.. the vicious complex now rears its ugly head at times and usually when i have INTENSE discussions abt my SUPERBLY OBESE issue with my family..
After viewing the serial "MAHI WAY" on sony tv, i can relate my plight to the protagonist and i hope against hope that people realise how bad a healthy person feels when poked fun @ always..
I believe.. healthy/obese people are the most jovial persons to know and the never-say-die spirit is imbibed in them in huge quantities.!
So what, we dont find clothes our size @ normal stores.. so what our dressing is restricted to indian.. so what,we struggle to be fit, so what, we are poked fun @.. etc..
At the end of the day.. I am proud of what iam ! have learnt the technique of ek kan se suno and dusre se nikaldo..n
this blog is purely written because i wanted to vent out my feelings ! whts better than writing a blog abt it??
no more words following from my fat brain lols...
more to follow...