a postage stamp, an envelop and the comet.

There is an envelope lying on my desk.
Someone has sent me a mail. I am supposed to read the matter written on a piece of paper in this envelope.
I see a postage stamp at the extreme corner. It seems to be very colourful. I see a picture of a few villagers doing something. I can’t understand what exactly they are up to! The postage stamp has been stamped by the postal authority. They do it so that the postage stamp cannot be reused.
So once the postage stamp is stuck on the envelope, the sole purpose of its existence is to help the envelope reach its destination. In the process it looses its value. A stamped postage stamp is of no use to anyone else than the envelope. It also looses its identity. Once the black ink is spread over the postage stamp there is no way anyone can understand what was printed on the stamp.

It is so obvious that once the envelop reaches the destination, no one will care about the stamp. After all it is the tiniest part of the whole thing. The postman will care about the address on the envelope. The receiver will be interested only in the letter carried by the envelope. How many of them will realise the importance of the postage stamp. But if it was not for the postage stamp, the envelop would have gone back to the one who mailed it. Only the sender will then understand how important it is for an envelope to have a postage stamp.
But, the underlined part is, the postage stamp will loose everything it has just to make sure the letter reaches safely. Is it a sacrifice?
DEVOTION TO DUTY IS NOT SACRIFICE. IT IS THE SOLE PURPOSE OF YOUR EXISTANCE.
If the postage stamp was not used with a fear that it might be damaged, it would, anyway, mean that the postage stamp has been wasted. This will be an insult to the postage stamp.

Now, I look at the envelope. It is nicely decorated, very neatly printed, very stylish one. The person who typed the address took extra effort to make the receiver feel nice to receive the envelope. The postage stamp seems to have spoilt its beauty. It is obvious from the presentation that the letter seems to have a high importance to the receiver.

Ever since the letter has been put into the envelope, it is taking good care of the letter. It protected the letter from the heat, the rains and the wind. It acted as a cushion against mishandling. It also carries the postage stamp and the mailing address which are the basic requirements for the safe delivery of the letter.

But as soon as the receiver will get the envelope, the envelope will be torn into pieces. The letter inside will be carefully handled, read and preserved. But the 2 most important factors – the envelope and the postage stamp will be in pieces an in the waste basket.

But this does not make them change their minds. They will still do their job to the best of their abilities. They won’t care about the consequences.
They will still be there with the letter… till the end … performing their duties

A comet will crash into the earths crust. People will see the damage it caused to the surface. But how many of them will realise that, in doing so the comet has lost its existence. It was so obsessed about the earth that it did not care about its identity and went to meet the earth. I think the comet has lost more in the process than the earth.

These non living things perform their tasks in a very efficient manner without the fear of the price they might have to pay in doing so. They are going to be punished for discharging their duties perfectly.

To me … this is what COMMITMENT is.

NEW YEAR GREETINGS

This is going on for some time now.

The Bombay Pune Highway has a grade separator now. Once I am in the fast moving lane there is no stopping. I reach the factory in . what .. 10 mins max..

But every now and then I like to take the age old route. The one through Yamuna Nagar... HDFC colony, Kamalnayan Bajaj School, Rudra Hotel, Stone Mine, Pimpi gasses ( the turn that leads to the swimming pool).
I have traveled on this route in every possible way ... I have walked .. I have cycled ... taken a tumtum/6 seater ... bike... auto riksha ... you name and I have had it..

The most mesmerizing site for me on this road it the gate of TATA MOTORS.. That part of the road between KSB pumps and Pimpri Gases. It is the F2 block.. It is TATA MOTORS.

You have the India Car plant. Next to it is the Commercial vehicle plant established 30 years ago. One the other hand you have the Telco, the school and the yard where the vehicles ready for dispatch are parked.

A few years TELCO, as it was called then, constructed an underground tunnel to shift their finished products in the parking yard across the road.

Since past few weeks I watch those cars/ LMV, LCV, HCV lying idle in the park yard. It is full to its capacity. So the newly manufactured cars are parked alongside the roads of TML.

Every morning I watch this.. I feel horrible.
The market is down. TML is manufacturing to attain yearly targets but its not selling anything. So in the few days the production will be down. That means no business. Ahhh... the recession, they say... it is obvious. What will we be doing then ... The mind is clouded.

Then I reach the factory. There is a whole lot of things to be done.. The schedules are pending. I yell at the Production in charge to work 24 by 7. There is a material shortage. I call the Purchase In charge.. get the list of pending orders. Check their status.
' I dont want to see you in the factory premises untill I see this material ready for production"
The accountant shows me the list of over due payments. The figure is astounding .. So now I have to talk to them to get the payments.

Then I get a few calls from the customers.. Their line have been stopped cos of shortage of springs. So I sit with the PPC and reschedule all the production plans.
Some springs have a quality problem so the customer’s ‘team’ is surrounding me.

There are a number of new enquires that need my attention. A few samples are urgent.

‘Urgent’ is the word that I hear more than ‘Springs’.

Its 4.30 pm . I think I have done for the day … so let me have my lunch.
I open my lunch box and there enters the marketing man.
“ This party wants x% discount. Is it feasible”
“ Ok let me check” .. the lunch box can wait.

So finally its 5.30 … everyone has left .. I am enjoying my lunch.
The call come from the security … some visitor is waiting for me.

At 6.00 in the evening.. he needs to develop a component .. “ urgently”
So I sit with the operator and get it done. The development in charge has made his pregnant wife wait for him alone in the house.

Finally its 9.30 … I take time to go home.
On my way I see TML again.. the unsold cars are piling up..
There is recession ..
The fear is gone. Now this sight makes me feel better.
May be I will find time to relax…

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL…
I WISH THE NEW YEAR BRINGS YOU A LOT OF BUSINESS AND IN TIME PAYMENTS.