My Favourite Lines from Kanav!

Accha!!! Bahut Shaitaan Hai!

Papa Office Jaana! Main School Jaana! Ok! Theek Hai!

Papa aap Kanav ko kahan le ke jaa rahe ho!

Have a Nice Day Papa!

Papa Tartoon chahiye!

Papa mere ko dono dono chahiye!

Papa aeroplane bui paas Jana!

Papa ek Baar dianosoure jungle kaani!

An important turning point

Some time back, I had written that life is too continuous with no Knee jerk reactions and it almost seems that the whole life has been lived in the present.

Every day I have realized the truth of the statement and sincerely today I don’t remember as to how did I live through the day before Preeti was in my life and more interestingly, I find it difficult to recall the days from the one year which Preeti and I had spent together before Kanav was born. It seems like my whole life till date has revolved around Kanav.

Today, 5^th October 2011, I think the day has again come to wash over the memories of the past three years which Kanav, myself and Preeti and write a fresh new present. While I write this, Preeti is preparing herself to go under the Knife (without even a speck of tension) to bring a new life into this world.

I am surely going to look back after another 3 years and would find it really hard to remember as to how life was when Kanav was alone. J God has been really Great to bless me with such a lovely family.

For the past few days Preeti’s real worries have been regarding Kanav. While Kanav is currently quiet a naughty kid and is miles away from the “adult logic” phase, controlling him at times is beyond anyone. But the real issue which Preeti is concerned about is how Kanav will spend his time over the next week as he is not used to even sleep without preeti. Every time Kanav has to sleep, Preeti has to lie down along with him. As soon Preeti is out of the Bed, Kanav can be expected to be out within 10 minutes automatically until and unless I am sleeping beside him.

But I very sincerely believe that Kanav is a very sensitive, sensible and intelligent kid who keeps on improving at the pace of light daily. I remember that a few weeks back, Preeti had an awful toothache and was taking combiflam which induced her to sleep. Unfortunately none of our Parents were with us that time. Amazingly Kanav realized the situation and not even once troubled Preeti throughout the day and neither did he try to make an escape to the park outside when Preeti was asleep. Kanav has been a revelation for us daily and the pleasure he gives us is similar to what a scientist must experience when he discovers something unique to share with the world.

I am sure Kanav unknowingly will rise up Preeti’s unspelt challenge and go beyond our expectations as always.

Manish Saini

The 24 Carrot Manager

Its been almost a year now since I have been thinking of gifting a book as a token of appreciation to each of my team members but have not been able to materialize the idea because –

1. I don’t know what book to gift?

2. I have so many favorites and I am not sure that at what reading maturity is each of the individual.

But I was too pleasantly surprised to receive a book (The 24 Carrot Manager by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton) from Kavish Jain, the CGP sourcing specialist from North, a very dedicated and hardworking individual.

The immediate thoughts which crossed my mind (both positive and negatives)

1. Oh Shit! It’s a duplicate book and I don’t read duplicates.

2. By Gosh! Kavish likes to read books and has sent me one which he likes. I was very happy to know that he too shares a similar feeling as I do i.e. to share your knowledge.

What I did immediately was –

1. I read the synopsis of the book and realized that it is about motivating your employees through rewards and recognition. This got me a bit double minded as to did Kavish send me this to make me realize what I was doing wrong? But then I cleared my mind and understood that he was finding the right words to say thanks to me and has found them somewhere in this book and I made sure to read the book completely.

2. Called up Kavish to say Thanks and ask him the question (above) and he started laughing because I think, what he wanted to say was in the book.

3. I scribbled the date or receipt and Kavish’s name on the book to help me remember the gift even years after.

This book is sincerely a great carrot for me and has motivated me harder. Will try to become a better leader tomorrow and even more better the day after.

Manish Saini

Letter toThe School of Barbiana

Dear Sir,
Its been 43 years since you have written your letter and I am sure it has passed through a million hands since. Even people who matter like Edward Boyle have acknowledged and written back to thank you.

43 years on, the world hasn't changed much. I guess it needs more than a Letter to change it. But what your Letter has done and can do cannot be thanked for even by a million letters from Gianni's like me who were a little lucky than you.This letter of mine, am sure will be among the thousands which you have received since your first publication.But what has instigated me to write it is the sorrow of letting 43 years gone waste since you first opened the Pandora's Box.

Your Pyramid is more valid in India today with increasing population and compulsory education laws and teachers still teach 18 hours a day, the young kids are as Timid as in those times, Gianni's are in abundant and Pierino fill the Universities, the Knife has turned into a sword and Rabrindranath has been trapped in the National Anthem and Gandhi in the portraits, Geography has become social studies and mathematics is as dreadful as it was ever, poor still travel miles to reach school and Teachers have left their jobs to create flourishing businesses out of after school tutions, I still pay my full taxes every month with a 2 percent education cess and need Rs 1.5 lac to get my kid admitted in a good school to start his rat race, government has stopped recruiting teachers for primary schools because of abundant supply and still 1 out of every 5 teachers is absent for a full year from schools, geniuses are still BORN and somehow GOD only curses poor with STUPID kids, Even at 32 I have not voted in a single general elections and my kid's history book changes with every change in the government every 5 years, the passing on of the knowledge is the job of only priests or parents while a teachers job is making sure the kid lives are cut down to the lowest denominator with the knife and I still don't know how many flats are there in my Building.

What has really hit me is that some people who have been close to me had been or want to become a part of this filthy system irrespective of thinking how they have suffered at the hands of the same system. By becoming part of it they have or will become the carrier of the same philosophy which you and I hate, sowing what their next generation is going to reap.
If the weakness of the Indian Education system is not rectified, we might loitre The greatest strength of India, its democracy. Also, its this strength itself which needs to be used to overcome the education system's weakness.

While I don't see any dramatic changes happening immediately, I also cannot sit on the boundary line seeing my kids struggling. This letter of your's has very strongly negotiated with my soul to start THE SCHOOL OF BARBIANA in India and which I will start soon. I don't want anyone reading your letter after another 43 years and writing back to you again a similar thank you.

With Deepest Regards,
Manish Saini

Discovery of Life

Kanav turned two and a half years just 2 days back

Every day in the morning, I try to leave for office before Kanav wakes up. But if he is awake, Preeti either takes him for Brushing his teeth or tries to do something innovative to divert his attention from me, for if he witnesses me leaving the house, it would become difficult to control him and he would just cling himself to me.

This sequence started from only couple of months and I don't even remember from when. Life is extremely continuous and with negligible knee jerks which sometimes make me look like the complete lifetime has been lived in present and the past seems to be a different life altogether. I and Preeti often wonder as to what was our life as a couple before Kanav and I am sure after our second kid this October we would be wondering about our current life with Kanav alone.

So much has been recited about living life in present that anything what I say about discovering life seems to be completely Bourgeois. But what happened today morning just cuts through this bourgeios from the surface and shows me as to what we call "the real discovery of life".

As usual I was about to leave office and was late. Suddenly Kanav came through his room, half awake and seeing me, he ran to occupy my lap. I winked at Preeti to do the obvious and Preeti on the pretext of playing with him took him to the kitchen. He saw me packing my office bag and suddenly said - "BYE PAPA". The moments of discovery are just Eureka and this was nothing less.

I and Preeti were just zapped and momentarily looked at each other with astonishment. While preeti sent Kanav along with his nani into the ground, I just can't stop myself exclaming that my kid has grown intelligent. WHY IS IT NOT A WEEKEND? I so much want to play with Kanav.

Manish