Short Take
Learning experience – Gulf Today – Short Take – Dt 15 November 2014
Learning experience
It was a hectic week with Adipec 2014 celebrating its 30th anniversary.
The prestigious oil and gas exhibition and conference has gained immense popularity over the years. It was proved by the continuous flow of visitors with their quest to know more about technology and expertise present in each of the stands.
The event offered an opportunity to meet with colleagues who arrived for the exhibition from different parts of the world and also make some new friends who were first timers.
Observing them and many others in our and various other stands was a learning experience by its own. Some people make it a show and some others contribute significantly to make the show run!
For me, it was a month of long working hours and I needed a break. Off to the airport straight from the exhibition, I realised my dress was completely out of form.
I approached an outlet where an Ethiopian salesgirl gave me the right choice of shorts, jackets, belt and other accessories. In no time, I was relaxed and comfortable in my new dress.
Good customer service is an inborn art and a person like her should be congratulated and promoted to be role models. Our travel becomes all the more interesting when we come across such pleasant salespersons.
Ramesh Menon
Noble cause – Short Take – Gulf Today – Dt 01 November 2014
Noble cause
Weekends are something one looks forward to. Come Sunday, and work keeps all busy. Occasional attendance to some public function may be the only diversion to this schedule. Come Thursday and things change. We look forward to meeting friends and a series of activities rejuvenate us.
One of the activities in my life is to assist a group of friends in serving the less fortunate and less educated within our society. Less fortunate is common to all. However, less educated is an interesting term I imbibed recently from an elderly person.
We were in the middle of a health awareness campaign and one among us casually checked his blood sugar level. He was well educated, a teetotaler, and had a disciplined life. However, he was found with a higher than normal blood sugar level.
That was a chance discovery, which in normal case would have gone unnoticed till it had aggravated. A casual persuasive talk by someone to have his parameters checked helped him avert a danger to his life.
This is an important lesson we learnt. This has given us more vigour to come all out and create awareness to the less educated and less fortunate about health and dangers of smoking. Added with a bit of awareness on road safety, our mission each week is full of bliss.
End of the weekend, we all say blessed when we are able to convince someone to stop smoking or drinking or even help diagnose an unknown medical condition and assist him to get appropriate treatment.
Ramesh Menon
Gulf Today – Short Take – Dt 1st November 2014
To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online
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Click trick – Gulf Today – Short Take -Dt 04 October 2014
Click trick
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| New look arrival lounge Bangalore Airport |
A few days ago, I met some friends at the airport. Meeting me after a long time, one of them teased me. “Where is your camera? We get to see you posting on social media immediately wherever you go!”
I was in a hurry at that time and also this is a question I hear often.
During my childhood days, it was a routine for us children to go for sight seeing trips to distant towns in the southern states of India. Most of these trips were directed at pilgrimage centres and historic places of importance.
A family of my father’s friend and my family were part of the tour party most of the time. Nine passengers in a good old Ambassador car, which my father still maintains in a good condition!
It used to give us exposure to different places, culture, food and tradition. It went on till we children grew up and parted ways due to our own business or work.
Now my parents are old and cannot travel easily. Adding to their problems is poor eyesight. I realised the solution was to install a computer at home, provide them a Facebook ID and teach them the basics. Since then, it has become a routine for my parents to see the world through me.
Thus, there are some silent well-wishers out there who regularly read my posts.
It is the same way, I get to see and travel around many parts of the world through some good friends who share the world and news through their clicks and posts.
To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online.
Marching ahead – Gulf Today – Short Take Dt 27 September 2014
Marching ahead
India has successfully launched an orbiter to Mars. But even during such good times, one can see grumblers raising their head. Someone opined that India should have put a national flag on the spacecraft!
These are not achievements that should be credited as individual or country-specific. These are for the welfare and progress of mankind.
There are other achievements happening too. A group of five Emirati students went on a scholarship programme organised by the French Embassy, Image Nation and Total to study film making at the prestigious La Femis Institute in Paris.
During their five-week stay, they literally learned the state-of-the-art technology and also what life is in a metropolitan European city suburb.
The funniest thing for them was the interaction one of them had with a group of local people. He was enthusiastic and made friendship with some people in his neighbourhood. As he left them and moved to his apartment, he realised something missing. It was his mobile phone. He knew by then what happened with the new friends and their methods.
He used another phone and called on his number. Promptly, someone speaking Arabic answered. He said, “I know it is you calling for the phone. It is with me now and I took it from you.”
Our gleeful friend thanked him wholeheartedly.
To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online
Setting an example – Gulf Today – Short Take Dt. 20 September 2014
Setting an example
During a recent visit to Bangalore, I had the opportunity to meet the head of the department at the college where my son is studying.
I was expecting a senior man with a firm face and no smile. As the attendant took me to his office, I was pleasantly surprised. There sits in that responsible seat a man in the early forties, who greeted me with a welcome smile.
Talking to me about the student behaviour, he narrated an example. He quoted to me the sadhya, i.e. the traditional feast we have.
He said, “Education is like the rice in the sadhya served along with numerous other items like pickle and curries.”
One cannot fill his stomach by consuming the pickle or curries. He has to have rice to satisfy his hunger and be happy. Education is just like that. A student in a professional college should take it seriously and consider it the most important phase in his life till he passes out in the first attempt.
Other activities like partying etc. should be given a secondary spot in his daily life. Only then will he be able to enjoy life. Once he passes out with a good score and secures employment with a decent pay package, all the fun activities will follow suit.
If he ignored education, he will face enormous difficulties.
I was impressed by his attentiveness to minute details of each of his students, from first year to final year, in his department.
Having studied in the same college, worked outside and returning to the same college to head the Mechanical Engineering department, Prof. Ravishankarshowed a complete belongingness of the institution.
Educationists like him are an asset to the community.
Ramesh Menon
To read it in original, please visit, Short Take, Gulf Today Dt 20 September 2014
Avoidable turmoil – Gulf Today – Short Take – Dt 14-09-2014
Avoidable turmoil
These days, when one opens the newspapers, it is filled with stories of atrocities happening around the world. The sufferings of people are beyond explanation. In particular, women and children. There is absolutely no safety for them and they end up as the first, fast and easy prey for the tormentors.
Reading about the killings, I wonder why humanity has gone back to the bygone era, when the world is highly advanced in terms of technology and expertise.
Where there are no man-made calamities happening, we hear of natural disasters. The recent floods in India, Pakistan, Philippines and other countries are of high magnitude. It will take several years to rebuild what has been destroyed. Let us at least try and strive to reduce the emotional difficulties of those affected.
Ramesh Menon
Gulf Today, Short Take Dt. 13 September 2014
To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online
Woman of substance – Short Take – Gulf Today – 06 Sepetmber 2014
Woman of substance
A few days ago, I had an opportunity to interview a young UAE local girl student. She was just back after winning a scholarship to attend a prestigious international seminar in Paris. Initially, she was reluctant to speak.
After I convinced her of the importance, she gave me 10 minutes for the discussion.
Slowly opening out, she started talking about her school and college education and then her first work placement as an intern with a reputed government organisation. After gaining adequate skill on the job training, she moved on to her first real job at a national oil company.
True to her nature, she has become one of the key Corporate Social Responsibility representatives of it.
Intelligent and willing to learn more, she is simultaneously learning International Law and Diplomacy at a prestigious university. The intensive programme makes her attend the classes five days a week in the evening. For any ordinary person, this is already more than what one can take.
It was the above two qualities that helped her get selected to attend this prestigious scholarship in France. She was one among the 120 students who made it from different countries. It was a great experience for her as she learned technically and culturally a lot from it.
In turn, she represented herself as ambassador of the country clarifying the queries of her fellow students about life in the UAE.
Here is the difference I made out within that future achiever. Keen to contribute more to the society, she is already working on her family business to establish a series of business enterprises in the emirates.
Once opened, it will be a set of state-of-the-art medical facilities of quality and class within the satellite towns of Abu Dhabi. She has identified the need for the requirement of quality healthcare in that area and almost through with the establishment procedures.
If I am correct, when this facility is inaugurated, she will be the youngest UAE local woman entrepreneur in the medical and health industry.
Girls like her are an asset to this country and inspiration for the future generation. Leaving her office after about an hour, I sincerely wished her the best in her future endeavours.
Ramesh Menon
Gulf Today Dt. 06 September 2014
To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today Online
Unknown path – Gulf Today, Short Take Dt. 30 August 2014
Unknown path
At times I am confused about my urge to write my feelings and thoughts on a regular basis. To write or not to write is always a dilemma that I undergo, when I sit to pen my thoughts. However, I end up writing my feelings at the end of the day.
Today too, is not different.
First is about the marriage of one of my nieces. I remember the night she was getting ready to come out from her mother’s womb. It took approximately 12 hours for her to finally land into this real world making all of us happy to see a cute little girl arrive.
Priyanka grew up as a darling of all. She is getting married now and I really wanted to witness the historical moment. Sadly, couldn’t make it due to work reasons. I believe always that a girl child is an asset to the family. I am sure she is and will be in her new role ahead.
The second is about a friend, Joe, who was leaving the UAE for good after a nine-year stint. He was kind enough to part with me a huge collection of books to use for charitable cause.
What has made his departure more special? That may be your thought next.
True, it is special, as he is travelling a distance of around 8000 km by road to his home country Switzerland from Dubai covering several countries on the way. It will be a dream come true journey for any motorsport enthusiast.
It is true that the journey ahead for all is always adventurous. There will be always an unknown path ahead. It is how we walk our steps that make us different each time. I am confident that both will be successful.
Ramesh Menon
To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online
Mother’s affection – Gulf Today – Short Take – 23 August 2014
Mother’s affection
In a flash this year’s holy month of Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr passed by. An extended holiday at the end of it was utilised to be with my aged mother in an orthopaedic hospital back home in India. She was undergoing a series of surgeries.
Being with her during the entire period was very satisfying and I felt like giving back little affection to the ocean of love and care she showered on me till this age.
At the hospital, I was really impressed by one lady staff’s commitment to her duty. Bharathi, a lady security manning the post-operative ward of that busy hospital, turned out to be an excellent example.
Starting her duty early in the morning, she kept an excellent watch on those who really had to visit and controlled all those who should not. With due instructions prior to entering, she made sure everyone followed all the necessary health, safety and environment regulations to protect the welfare of the patients. Of course, she was at a very junior level of the hospital, but she did show a great example of how important each person’s job was and how to attend to it when its intended result is achieved. It was proved every day as soon as she left for home and her replacement took charge and people did utilise their influence to get in at will, disrupting the peaceful function of the post-operative ward.
While returning to the UAE on the plane, a little boy came and sat next to me. Due to the huge passenger rush for Abu Dhabi, his mother and sister were seated on different rows while the father was seated way behind.
Well dressed and impressive at his age, I started a conversation with him. He was found to be very intelligent and was aware of all the modern gadgets and their uses.
He was closely watching me what I was doing as he was changing the channels on the monitor in front. As the airline staff started serving, he read out the menu and ordered his choice of meals, which was a plate of kebabs and rice. I ordered a different item. When the staff served the food, he was curious as to what I was getting and as he tasted his and wasn’t impressed with it.
He asked me whether he could re-order his food. I said to him, I will try. Calling the airhostess and explaining to her the little one’s wish, I persuaded her to bring her a set of meals with fish, which was the next choice by this little one. It took some time for her to bring the food and by then I finished my dinner.
When he tasted the fish, he didn’t like that too. Slowly, he turned towards me and said, “Uncle, can I ask her to bring what you had?!” I explained to him, normally, they will carry only a limited number of packets and they will not have extra, which was the case exactly as explained to me by the airhostess.
In order to console him, I asked him to order ice cream and when they brought it, it was rock solid. He tried to cut and eat the ice cream but in vain.
The airhostess told him that it would melt soon. Waiting for it to melt, we started talking to each other and in no time, he was asleep and me too! I woke up hearing the announcement for the plane to land at Abu Dhabi and looked for the boy. He was still asleep. The ice cream bowl was cleared by the staff by then!
Ramesh Menon
Gulf Today – Short Take – 23 August 2014
To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online
To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online
Tragedy of life – Gulf Today – Short Take – Dt. 09 August 2014
Tragedy of life
Life passes by very quickly. At times many of us undergo a series of unexpected tragedies all at the same time. For a favourite colleague of mine Paulita and her husband Adrian, it was one such time during last year.
A cancer fighter, her condition aggravated and she had to undergo a series of major treatment.
She was recovering and it was at that time the natural tragedy happened and her entire village was destoyed. Along with it 18 of their immediate relatives!
Massive efforts were coordinated by her forgetting her own health condition to rehabilitate those who survived.
Time passed by quickly and it is time for her to go back on leave.
It is at this time she is feeling the magnitude of what happened. With houses yet to complete and essential facilities still not reconstructed, life is not going to be easy for some time.
In a way when we look at things happening in our life, it is true that all good things can be destroyed in a flash but to reconstruct the goodwill it is never easy and requires lot of hard work, determination, dedication and sustained effort.
I take this opportunity to salute all good human beings like Paulita who do selfless efforts forgetting their own personal hardship.
Ramesh Menon
Short Take, Gulf Today 9 August 2014
To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online.
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