Rohit Sharma

It was very early in my corporate life that I met people who were strict with their expenses. One of them would write every single purchase, be it a cup of coffee from the street, that he will jot it in his mobile application. That was moving. I couldn’t do it then. Continuing yourself in the corporate industry, now I see the growth chart, and the subsequent opportunities that one can take advantage of, many of us can be a better planner if we start everything early. That includes, deciding your first bike, first home, first foreign travel, your life term & medical insurance and so on. Few days back I was coming across trending columns and videos on increasing EMI culture in India. Many of our salary is spent same day on the monthly installments that are due to us.  I have been listening to several speakers talking about their financial planning and how in 15 years of their career they grew and saved enough to generate a healthy equivalent passive income. They say, it’s most ...

It's a bright day of mid October. The ground is fuming with blurring heat over the earth surface. Group of pigeons are lurking over the shed spaces. This is a closed gated society. Hundreds of invisible humans reside behind a few inches thick walls. So many humans, so many apartments, so many windows, so many balconies and yet not so many of them are visible. A day, as it is, when some screeching voice is heard at a distance. A woman is shouting. A man, frustrated, shouting back and suddenly the air is filled with an uneasy disturbance. The heat started to itch. In one of the many boxes, the walls are thinly shaking and all the lively ears are witness of this. A wave of high intensity chaos goes all around in no time. I sit by my balcony and I observe the pigeons in deep shock. They are so taken aback. They are reacting by this chaos. They shake their heads in some disbelief, they flurry in wings and they walk hearsay. The neighbourhood whispers are no more. All ears to...

I received a call at a calm mid-day, only to understand that a customer is shouting abuse from the other end at an immeasurable limit. As an Area Service Manager, what is expected out of you? You hear, obviously. I introspect, how much? Okay, what am I talking about in here? As per customer, he doesn’t care about the police. He has a million followers at social media accounts & he is also affiliated to the ruling political party that he can made bends to harm others. He said that I am telling you this on record. In less than 20 seconds, I understood that I am the wrong person he is talking to. This territory concern to other person. As much as I try to tell him that, he thinks that I am crossing him & in no time I was the subject of his pitiful abuses. I held on to my patience, but I couldn’t anymore. In the heated up moment, I don’t reconcile what I said to him, only that please stop the bullets! I cut his phone call because he was way too magnanimous. It was a rarity of all t...

These hills around are not devious. They neither hide. It's as well not that simple. The temple is an open rock structure. It is perspired by sun glare, morning and afternoon. At night, dark befalls the sorrounding. Throughout the long day, sparse traffic, to and fro, keep hitting the road. Inside the periphery, there are trees of variety. Donning a white dhoti and a loose upperwear shawl, a quiet thin-looking gentleman could not be seen more calm. Time stands before him, in unrolled butterfly. He does not count his age. No belongings, but all that exista in thoughts and good faith. As desireless he can be, he is not a keeper. A devotee, but of what god? Shree Hanuman sparks inside the garbhagriha, grabbing a huge mountain in his hand. Some call him baba, some just call him sadhuji. Few roadbikes stopped days ago and took several images of him. They politely asked for permission. It's not a nuisance. It's a way to secretly remain connected with the multitude. Th...

It’s an unsurprising tale, as India’s GDP & people’s purchasing power capacity is increasing, more Indian dream of having an Air-conditioner at home is coming to a truther remain. As someone who is into this industry for some time, and as someone who keep on interacting with the customers, I jot few points for you to consider. Brand There are just as many brands in the market as you keep searching. Which one is your pick? It depends on: which part of India you reside, what is your budget, what is your history with having an AC and none of it, if you are already partial for one of it. Okay. Brands are categorized based on your budget. Aesthetics of the unit is least of concern. Obviously, if you have an upper edge on pocket, it doesn’t matter in the first place.  Service As much as I understand, even metropolitan like Mumbai can deal a lot in getting good after-sale-service. So what’s the point? Wherever you live & whichever brand you are prying for, search for t...

For the last 48 hours, I have been listening to the pour of raindrops over the earth surface, houses and trees, over the tarpaulin sheet above my balcony.. Last night as I dingled along a tiring sleep, forawhile it occured to me that someone has been calming my anxious senses throughout the chorus-full night. I woke up early and I still found the sound of rain. I opened the door of my balcony and looked at the violet sky. No wonder, we call this phase of weather as some kind of Season. They say it's the season of rain. As I stood grey looking out, I knew that some very recent day it was a lot of humidity around and it was kind of hard to bear it on my skin. I wished for the day in front of me and here it is plucking strings inside me. I don't want to let go of today and yet time does not listen me. It moves like a mad elephant. No brakes. As day surpassed, the sky brightened to whiter shade and I felt that I couldn't stop this. I couldn't stop earth to rotat...

My friend who just gone through a full pregnancy and delivered a cute kid, once quoted me a question, “Rohit, why should I bring a child into this sad & cruel world. I am scared and feel responsible for the kid”. I had no answer then and more so even today I am still in the vague. My god, pregnancy is tough for some people. It’s not what it is we may think it is, ok, us bachelors. As a growing up kid in my little joint family, I have seen my aunts going through the processes. But, I was a kid then. I never knew that there are hormones which keep playing with your mind & your body. You could end up vomiting all day and feel crazy on your stomach. Depending on your case, you may have to keep visiting the doctors to get the regular healthy consultations. Adding some sugar, for some woman this is a simple process as well. There are those who remain unaware that they are 4 months pregnant! Anyway. I was passing by a regular street and I saw a young aged woman. She was pregnant and s...

Many of the developing countries are known to have the advantages of cheaper manpower. Countries like India, China, Bangladesh etc have been able to generate a chunk of skilled labor force who are staying within the country and have been able to provide efficient growth at an efficient margin. As much as my interaction with people, how some of us vie to go Middle eastern and western countries so that for a certain period of time, we could save good and return back the native. I am turning to understand that all those cheap services we are able to get in the Modern day digital India, and at our doorstep, one problem remain to be addressed. On one of the recent interaction with the service technicians, they touched upon me the treatment they receive with the people in the market. Although, customers are always right, I tended to understand that many of them would loose our tongue while talking with technicians. There might be a hierarchy in place, it may still be that service is a thankl...

Rubbing a pinch of Tobacco in his palm, guard uncle says that both of his teeth are lost by chewing it. He says that he couldn't get rid of the fun of eating tobacco. It's his favorite pass time. He is a hard core tobacco lover. He has a small green box in which he safely store them along with lumps of lime.  Having mixed sense of regrets, he opened his mouth and allowed me to take a picture of the fallen kingdoms. He leaned forward and says in a subtle calmness, "look". Thereafter he slided in the rubbed leaf masala and yeah, I can see that his face lightens with its taste! Well, he is an occasional farmer too. He has some land that is under feud since someone built a commercial space around it and the free flow of water is kinda hampered. He doesn't know what to do about it.. Not at the moment. Wearing a blue uniform and a black hat, he keeps sittiing calmly over a shabby looking white chair. Some days back, dealing with financial turmoil, he has bee...

I woke up several times during the night. At 2 AM, my eyes opened to an uncomfortable sweat. I did not sweep my bedsheet. One mosquito was lurking near my arm. I killed it while using mobile torch light. This is it. I stood and switched on the tubelight. I looked at my drizzling face & drops of condensed water over my chest in the mirror. Waiting no longer, I swooped the towel and flew towards the bathroom. This is me, bathing peacefully. The water is cold. Peace kissed me steadily down my limbs, my back and I see my world changed. Coming out, I changed my bedsheet into new. I combed as if a new day has started. Couldn't find myself sleepy, I lied down on the bed and opened the Homo Deus that I have been reading for some days. Reading it is as heavy as the number of pages it contains. Sleep came running back to me in an invisible gush. Lights remained on the rest of the night. I woke up 830 in the morning. It's monday. I found that my manager had left a whatsapp...

Tamas has dried. There is no water left in it. It's complicated. People talk that the water level has gone down. Those who have bore water supply at their homes, tell that it takes hours to fill a 1000 litre tank. The earth is revolving and so are these talks that come back to us in some form. It's the month of March. The summer is about to begin. As I strolled near the dry bed of the river, I met these small kids. They have found a puddle of stagnant water. They are fishing. They have muddy feet. One of the little kid has a small yellow box. She has put up a net across two puddles and through which fishes are getting stuck while flowing. Silently sitting by the edge, she tilted the little box and showed me her live catch. Inside it there is murky water and 7-8 fishes are visible. "What are you gonna do with them?", I asked. She said she will eat them. She is wearing bluish bangles and pink lipstick. While I was speaking with other kids, I heard her laughi...

A man sit crouched by the busy street, hawking for the possible customers who may happen to stop for a general enquiry and bargain!  What is he selling? Some random utensils.  He carries a red bag, which contains all his stock and acts as flexible storehouse too! Everyday he packs up and moves his warehouse back to his living space. How does he travel? He is also carrying a water bottle. A workspace necessity, you know. Meanwhile, what is the capital involvement? What is his day selling target? How much should he sell to maintain a limited living standard of himself and his family? What is the margin? Does he save enough to volumify his business? Neatly setting his hair apart, he himself come dressed in a stark blue shirt. Over a thin cotton cloth lying on the tarred road, he decorates his products arranged in a rectangular fashion.. The wait has begin. Is it morning time? It is. The day has only started. Today is Sunday. Along with him, there are other sellers who...

21 year old raggu sat besides me overlooking the quiet ocean from a little known corner. What engulfs him? He poses a straight expressionless face. This is the part of Mumbai where colaba ends, and somewhere an edge of Marine drive starts. I happened to find it when I realized a windy outlet over a road end. I jumped across the stagnant fishing boats, stepping over the fishing nets and crouched myself in, in no time. It was a little luck which brought me here. I felt happier and unstrained. It is post noon time. The sun was overhead. Summer is almost there. Although as usual there isn't much winter in Mumbai, summer didn't take time to hop in. I had been walking for some time since morning. The traffic had started and I felt torn by it. Raggu was sitting along with another mate who wanted to know the depth of the ocean at the edge. He was asking Raggu's permission, if he can dive in. He couldn't gather the courage to do so. Raggu was not supportive. They wer...

Met this old man at the Mumbai local train. He is Mr Kanhaiya Lal. He was sitting besides the adjacent seat, just like me, over the edge. He got happy when I asked the co-passenger to slide & make a little space for me! We became instant friends and started talking. Hailing from the town of Jaunpur UP, he came to Mumbai some forty years back. Kanhaiya ji starts at Eleven everyday from his chawl at Malad. 75 years old, he doesn't interest himself sitting at home. There are reasons for it. He said that his wife would demand several stuffs and that's expensive! He said that if he remains back, there might also be fight. In his own words, ".. at old age, we lose memory and gets angry every now and then. What if I beat her down? It's bad. This is not a good thing. I ask her to not fight. What will neighbours say! They will make stories & laugh at us. We should maintain harmony.." He asked me, "what biraadari(caste) you belong to?". He show...

It's a big city, is it. He is lost. Not alone, but in his full presence and the companionship of the deep sense of silence that engulf the open wounds of the city. Englossed with glittery lights, smoothened with finesses, he walks and walks around. Busy streets meet him with monotonous gaze. Look at the unmoving earth. These lanes are sure mazes. Hear me out! What is the day today? Is it the month of January? "Oh, it's long gone...", the city talks back in nothingness. A month jus passed... where did it go? He can't sleep on the new bed. It's too soft. Lots of  caring, and he asks, for what? He acts unaware. By the open window of the room, comes in singular breeze, bringing with it random honks of vehicles and few cries of adolescents. Down at the highway, traffic moves romantically robotic. A drape of thin smog protects the air, while a yellowish enigma glitters overhead.. How about some silence. Close the window! The skylights hide the stars up t...