Be your own boss!!!!!!!!!!!!

Being a software engineer and slogging for 10 hours a day at work , I found Freelancing as a way to liberate myself. Writing is one of the things I always wanted to do. What better way than painting the canvas of an A4 sized sheet with the colors of your imagination and thoughts.

Like any kind of work , freelancing comes with it share of demons. There are times when I am completely out of work and there are times when I'm brimming with it so much so that I have to stall other life activities to meet deadlines. Having said that , there of course is uncertainty when it comes to freelancing but it gives you an opportunity to connect with a host of people which in turn gives you stories to write about or characters to get inspired from. And most importantly doing something which you love doing makes you feel all the more alive.

Do you have similar experiences or stories to share ? Do comment.

Relationship Management for the Customers : A quick Insight into CRM

The central focus of any business or industry is customers. A happy and satisfied customer doesn't only ensure customer retention but also helps in increasing the customer base.

CRM or Customer Relationship management helps in analyzing existing and potential customers data and interactions which in turn improves business relationship with the customer. Today a business of any magnitude needs a CRM system to facilitate smooth sales , marketing and customer support throughout life cycle of business with the customer. There are umpteen number of reasons why business needs CRM today. From being cost effective to providing a central data repository enabling automation pf processes , future prediction and analysis, CRM has become an key component in business. There are many CRM solutions available in the market today as per needs and complexity of the business . One such solution is Salesforce which provides a cloud based enterprise cloud computing solution. Insightly is another a strong and affordable customer and project management tool. The are a host of advantages of using CRM solutions. Some of the essential ones are ;

1. Centralized repository of customer data – CRM enables you to keep all your customer data at one place which can further be grouped on basis of location , business , priority etc. It also reduces the dependency on a particular sales representative who knows the customer's needs. Salesforce takes the centralization up by a notch by using the cloud based system thus making the usage independent of machines or networks.

2. Future prediction and analytics – With the historical data of current and future customers in hand , it becomes easy to predict the future needs of the customer and analyze the market trends as well. With all the necessary information at hand , the efforts in assessing the requirements and needs of the clients are reduced.

3. Tracking of tasks and events – The tool not only keeps customer's data handy but also keeps a track of status of contracts and interaction with the customers. Relying on a person or spreadsheets for this information would lead to some slippage and human errors but CRM tools provide a platform for information and error free updates.

4. Integrates and automates sales and customer support - Since the customer data and analytics are centralized , the process of sales , marketing and customer support for a product life cycle is automated through these tools. It targets on business objectives and a clear overview of the ,market needs and demands.

5. Cost effective -Since there is less need of manual work and resources involved, the solution is cost effective. With the system being automated , there is minimal chances of human errors thus eliminating risks .Once the solution is implemented ,the technologies used are economical in a long run.

Traditionally , CRM was used as a sales and marketing tools but customer service are a focus now. With the increased presence of customers on not only the real world but also the social media platforms , CRM enables handling of data and managing customer needs across platforms thus becoming a vital player in business today.

Spring Sprints - Paris Day 1

If you are a movie aficionado like me (or as people call me -”Filmy”) , then after seeing movies like Dil Chahta hai , Zindagi na milegi Dobara , Dil Dhadakne Do ,Queen etc etc ( I can literally go on and on ) you would have either planned such a trip umpteen number of times in your mind ( without the desired execution of course ) or would've wondered how could a trip change someone's life ( Hindi movies anyways exaggerate life :P)

I was no different. Ever since my college days I wanted to go trekking and camping with my friends but nothing really was materialized as per the plan. Fast forward life and I had a chance to visit the fashion capital of the world , the city of lights : Paris. And yes it did affect my life in more than one ways. 

It was a four day tour by one of the very popular tour operators among Indians for tours in Europe : Star Tours. You can visit them at : http://www.startours.co.uk/

The splendor and magnificence of Paris cannot be penned down in a single writeup and hence this would just be the beginning.

Our trip started on the 29^th April 2016 at around 5:30 AM . We boarded the bus from Wimbley , London , picked up passengers on the way and were off to Dover.

Dover is a coastal town in England. It’s a major port for ferries to Calais, in France. Built to repel invasions from across the English Channel, medieval Dover Castle overlooks the town and houses the extensive Secret Wartime Tunnels. The iconic White Cliffs of Dover are symbolic safeguards at Britain’s closest point to continental Europe.( That's what Wikipedia says but trust me I had the same feelings :D )

From there we boarded a ferry ;we as in the passengers and the bus. While the bus rested in the parking lot of the ferry , we made our way to the shopping mall , food court and the deck.

We treated ourselves to the shopping experience of the Duty free goods in the mall. Perfumes , chocolates , cosmetics , head phones ,speakers , electronic gadgets , the shop had it all.

We then made our way to the food court and enjoyed some English breakfast overlooking the English Channel . < Treat for the tummy and eyes :* >

The ferry then unloaded us at Calais, France. From Calais , it was a 3.5 hours to Central Paris.

The smooth roads, mustard fields , cherry blossom trees , tulips and 3 idiots on the Coach TV made the otherwise long ride effortless and unnoticeable.

In no time we were in Central Paris. To get a feel of the city and its abundance and magnanimity we took the river boat cruise in the pristine Seine River.

The cruise had provisions for lunches , dinners and a live commentary citing the monuments and landmarks as we crossed them. The boat passed through umpteen number of bridges including the romantic Alexander Bridge and the wishful locks bridge .On the way we crossed the Louvre , Notre Dame , Assembly Nationale , Grand Palais and ofcourse the Eiffel Tower.

The long day ended with a much needed sumptuous Indian Dinner at Bhojan.

It was time to conclude the day and gear up for a long fascinating and convivial trip to Disneyland the next day.

Stay tuned because the fun has just begun :D
Details on Day 2 Coming soon :)

A for Apple or Android?????

However inconspicuous it might sound , the decision of which mobile device to buy cannot be undermined in its worth and value. In the OS world of smart devices full of blackberries , Jellybeans , marshmallows and kit kats , two broad categories of Operating systems have endured the tough test of time in the ever changing digital world and have stood out : IOS and Android.

If you look at the 2015 market share of the two OS s in consideration , Linux based Android captures a whooping 85% of the market and Mac OS/Unix based IOS mere 13% ( stats rounded off to nearest whole no)

The debate on which is better however cannot be determined only by the market share.

The very distinctive feature which differentiates the two is the hardware-software match making.

IOS is restricted to Apple devices whereas Android is free and open source and hence caters to a large variety of devices.

In terms of pocket friendliness , Android scores over IOS by a significant margin. However , the whole user experience and ease of use is far better in IOS devices. IOS “takes care of itself” in that aspect giving the user limited control over file systems. The downside of this is of course restricted customization by the user.

Both IOS and Android have a come a long way since their inception in 2007 and 2008 respectively and have their loyal set of consumers. It'll be unfair to compare the two in strict senses but the next time you wish to buy a device your research can be based on the following:

1. variety in devices
2. budget
3. Control over customization
4. User friendliness

Spring Sprints - London Chapter 1

Glimpses of the unseen , good company , Indian food and loads and loads of pictures pretty much summarize my “ideal trip”.

The season of new beginnings and blooming flowers – Spring is that ideal time to visit the Europe and I started by visiting London.

London has always amazed me for its grandeur , royalty and diversity. It can be best described as that tawa sabzi in Indian weddings :Assortment of vegetables each having distinctive flavor happily coexisting on one tawa :D

Our day started with a walk towards Buckingham palace. With London Marathon scheduled for the very next day , roads were blocked with the English flag daunting the whole stretch for the Royal Parade. Helicopters were hovering , media vans were spotted in abundance , sniffer dogs , police , volunteers and tourists occupied the area. Interestingly the area wasn't closed for tourists but for vehicles thus providing scope for carefree walks and clicks.

On our way to the palace , we crossed the James Park which was full of flowers of impeccable colors adorning the garden. The cherry blossoms trees ornamented with flowers paved a welcoming path for the joggers , cyclists , roller skaters and walkers alike. Pigeons , Squirrels and ducks busily and hurriedly interacted with humans and flapped around in search of food and made their way to the lake and grass.

We reached the palace and it was time to witness a traditional ceremony prevalent since the 1800s – The Change of Guards.

Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace exhibits colorful extravagance , military bands and British pageantry. The ceremony lasts about 45 minutes and usually takes place daily at 11:30 from April until the end of July and on alternate days for the rest of the year.

You can view the details and schedule at :

https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckinghampalace/what-to-see-and-do/changing-the-guard

After the visual treat , brimming memory card and optical satisfaction , it was time to satisfy another important sense : The taste buds.

After some brainstorming and Zomato-ing , we walked towards the Covent Garden and queued outside Dishoom : An Indian Restaurant. If you think the name of the restaurant is the only typical thing about it then wait till you hear more.

Looking at the never ending and ever increasing queue, we were about to give up and settle for Subway , when a pretty attendant offered us Mint Chai tea and Sherry shots and apologized for the wait. Energized and appetised , we entered the restaurant in another 15 min.

It was certainly Mumbai in London. Movie posters , Hindi songs , the smell of curries and kulfis , hindi notice boards and signs , the gola maker ,cutting chai , vadapao and a sumptuous Indian Menu was enough to make us forget that we were in London and not a Cafe in Mumbai.

Although limited choice was available for the vegetarians , the food was good in taste and display.

You can read more about them at : http://www.dishoom.com/

After the splendid food and Bombay experience , we headed towards Leicester Square.

A particular entertaining and foot tapping performance there grabbed our attention ; a comedy song and dance show by a group of  boys on the street.

Do watch the whole video at: https://youtu.be/gh5uxur8-K8

A few more steps and we reached  the Piccadilly circus.

We witnessed there a huge array of shops bustling with offers , live performances,music , Ripley's believe it or not museum ,the Times Square of London and needless to say loads of people.

It was time to return home after bidding adieu to an eventful and memorable day.

The journey of London and discovering the spring and summers of Europe however is still on.

See you soon on the journey to another place another time with  another peculiarity and magnificence.

A date with the printing machine

Nine hours of office would appear seemingly long to some, but when there is work they are just not enough. If you thought hanging around the water cooler , visiting cafeteria in every break , taking personal calls or hitting the gym might be the only activities that shrink your day , then do try what I did yesterday.
A friend of mine and I had to get some documents printed and signed by the HR. We went to our floor common printer and tried to login to the machine kept there. Never in my life had I stared at the “Please Wait “for some 20 odd minutes. Had I been able to voice myself to the box of snail processors, I would’ve told them what being “on time” actually means. As time passed by PLEASE WAIT seemed mocking and a conjunction of etiquette and helplessness.
Since our machine was in client network, we could not connect to the common floor printer from our personal desktops too.
We went to the 7th floor just to discover that both the machines kept in the common area weren’t working: One didn’t download and one didn’t just work.The printer however was working fine.
After trying our luck at the “not downloadable” machine we went to the 5th floor.
The machine was working there but the printer wasn’t.We connected the machine with the 8th floor printer . Went all the way to see a very low quality print.
We came back on 5th floor , This time connected the machine with the 7th floor printer and after battling the long queue of associates who had similar experience that day , we were successful in printing 2 pages. Voila…………….we finally got our print outs. That the HR by the time we reached had gone for lunch and we had to wait for an hour or so is another story altogether.
I wonder how are some thousands of associates able to manage in  offices of several floors where the probability of either the machine or printer not working is .75 (yes I did some maths :P )

SYSTEM NOT WORKING PRINTER WORKING	SYSTEM WORKING PRINTER NOT WORKING
SYSTEM NOT WORKING PRINTER NOT WORKING	SYSTEM WORKING PRINTER WORKING

The silver lining however was that now I know how much time a page will take to print in my office. 
A simple task can sometimes turn into a big struggle utilizing your time, testing your patience and most importantly teaching you the meaning of the word : JUGAAD 

You are blessed!!!

“Some poems don't rhyme, some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end, not all flowers are fragrant and not all trees give shadow. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next”

We remain engrossed in our own lives very often until the journey so far seems to contract in a single moment.
It is this moment which decides the course of your action ahead. It changes the way you think, the way you perceive things, the way you deal with oddities and even the way you think about your own self.
The moment is defined as Kairos (Greek Word to describe a moment). 
Such a moment came in my life a while ago when I heard the most captivating,inspiring,emotional and at the same time rational, full of faith yet backed by scientific facts ,speech at Resonance 2012 (a semi-annual conference of Toastmasters International District 41 )by Sam Cowthorn.
When we entered the conference room that day ,we saw a tall ,rather taller than most of the people I had seen in my life, man who was smiling cordially at everyone he saw and had the charisma and poise which made everyone's head turn towards him.
I had seen his photograph on the banners in the auditorium
He was posing with a guitar and had that infectious smile. He was no different from his picture.
We decided to get a photograph clicked with him primarily because he was handsome and secondary and tertiary reasons being his acclaimed fame which includes winner of the Australian of the year award, world acclaimed motivational speaker to name a few.
He greeted us warmly and extended his left hand. Little amazed by the gesture I shifted my cellphone from my left to right hand and shook hands with him.
The photo sessions got over and we sat down for the session.
His session stood in between the brief tea break and the sumptuous lunch.
The auditorium was packed and Sam rose to speak. His initial introduction by the emcees comprised of phrases like “disabled”, “frightening car accident “,”he lost his right arm and leg”, “He was declared clinically dead for three and a half minutes” etc. etc.
I was now occupied with a sense of sympathy for him not realizing that after the next few hours I will feel the same for myself.
He was unconventional in his methods.
He did not use the stage or the podium to deliver his speech. He came down walked, jumped skipped hopped, climbed up chairs and kept moving throughout the room and in his own words he described it as “Intentional and  purposeful.”
“Charisma doesn’t overshadow character”He repeated this sentence as he walked from left to right corner of the auditorium.
In context of public speaking he said that it is your values, morals and integrity which define who you are on stage and not how the way you look.
He narrated how he met a fatal accident emphasizing that it was his own fault. The day was very clear in his mind and I could picturesque every word he spoke.
He was pronounced dead as his heart stopped for three and a half minutes. After resuscitation he faced severe injuries including the amputation of his right arm above the elbow and severe damage to his right leg.
While he narrated this he detached his artificial hand from its prosthetic arm and showed how he had programmed it with his latest IPhone 5.
A family photo of his wife and 3 kids appeared on the screen and Sam continued how he was pronounced handicap and told by the doctor that he will have to spend the rest of his life on wheelchair. That he will never be able to hold his daughter in his arms, that he will never be able to play guitar, that will have to be dependent on others, that he will never be able to run and dance around and that we will never be able to drive again.
But what Sam believed in was:
"It is your decision and not condition which determines what you are "  What followed was a yearlong fight against his condition from a state of denial to acceptance and then of changing things.
With faith, attitude and the proximity of his loved ones he created his own future.
Standing in front of us was a man who was told that he would never be able to walk again and he was jumping all around in the room and here we are who feel lazy and unessential to reach out to people whom we love and who love us.
Standing in front of us was a man who was once bed ridden and was supposed to be on wheelchair all through his life and today he was talking to unknown people, travelling and meeting everyone with open arms and here we are who at times do not even exchange smiles with people who work for us or work with us.
“Happiness starts by choice and it starts with you”He conducted an exercise where everyone had to stand and greet everyone in the room with the happiest expression possible. The energy levels in the room rose exponentially.
When you want the world around you to be happy you need to be happy at first place.
Another remarkable section of the session was the introduction of Bounce Forward theory.
In times when nothing seems to be at the right place and things start falling apart, we tend to bounce back to the original happier state because it seems to be a familiar territory. But Sam suggested that why don’t we try to bounce forward instead and go to the unknown. Try new things and explore the unexplored.
One should remember that Crisis creates opportunities. It is on you that what you focus on –The crisis or the opportunities it creates. To explain this concept he asked the audience to glance through the room for 10 sec and notice everything that was green. He then asked everyone to close their eyes and take names of everything they had seen in these 10 sec which was purple. 
It is therefore your focus on things which determines their importance in your lives. It was because of this focus that the pain he suffered in his arm 24/7 was inconspicuous to him compared to the beautiful things in life he focussed on.
When we were kids we always crossed busy roads holding hands. That is what is required in times of disparities –Holding Hands in Traffic. He told how the support of his family and loved ones and their belief inspired him to face the biggest challenge of his life.
Finally Leverage happiness that fuels success. Happiness starts with your own self. You are the average of five of your closest people. So remember to keep good company because “Proximity is Power”He also cited that the greatest investment one can make should be in himself –investment in his own brain.
He even touched on various aspects of decision making with the 10/10/10 principle.
Before making any decision think how will the decision impact you, the people around you and the society in general for the coming 10 days 10 months and 10 years.
One should always be grateful to whatever he has in life and should respect and cherish its presence.
In any adverse situation the challenge should be to survive through it and “Turn shoulds to musts”
He concluded the session with a beautiful song which he played on his guitar and asked the audience to sing along with him. He is one of the few people in the world to be able to play a guitar with an above elbow amputation.
“Take this opportunity and sing along .After all when you see a man who has no arms perform for you” were his words.
For the next few minutes the whole room was singing along with Sam
“I am blessed. I am blessed.
Every day that I live, I am blessed.
When I wake up in the morning
Till I lay my head to rest,
I am blessed. I am blessed.”As he finished the whole auditorium rose for a standing ovation and the applauses weren’t just stopping.
His speech was by far one of the best speeches I had witnessed.
It was once in a lifetime experience for all those who attended.He made us cry ,laugh and instilled a feeling which made us all feel grateful  of whatever we have in our lives :our parents ,family ,loved ones ,the company we work for, the money we earn, the home we live in  and most importantly an able body .
Not everything you have in life will stay with you forever but with faith, gratitude and the right attitude you can always make the best and most of the things around you. We are all here for a specific purpose and each one of us has a unique destiny. The challenge is to identify your purpose in life thus making your life more purposeful and worth for yourself and others. Hats off to the man who taught me the much known principles of life in a way that they will stay with me forever and beyond.