Driven by Values

Update: Anurag is currently working in an international call center in Gurgaon. It is an inbound process (that means customers call him and not vice versa)

Powered by Intellect, Driven by Values - The motto had sealed where I wanted to go after college. But then, there was a gap of six months between the day that I left college and the day that I would join my dream company. So here I am, biding my time at a call center.

The BPO is technical support for an anti-virus company based in USA. The job profile - Technical Sales. Unsuspecting customers call in for three main reasons:

• Their software isn't activated.
• They want to get rid of the software.
• They want to know more about our products after hearing our advertisements on radio and television.

Did I mention it was a 'sales' job? we have to convince our patrons that their system needs more than just some software to optimize performance. What they need are Microsoft certified technicians who would take care of their system while they have peace of mind. And they need not look elsewhere because we provide technical support for their system dirt cheap. It was an exciting profile. As a matter of fact, I was able to crack my first sale on my very first call.

Now comes the grey area - We are fraudsters. The software when installed for the first time brings in a few viruses with it. So, viruses are found on the system even if there weren't any before our software was installed. and our software makes sure the user's system slows down to a crawl. The customer is left with no option except to get a Microsoft Certified technician to work on it. If we are convincing enough, they subscribe to our service and a technician rids their system of all problems. To add insult to injury, there's hardly any technician in our process who is Microsoft Certified.

Our trainer Ashish (amazing guy, really) told us this was our way of getting back at the US. In US, even a person who can't afford to have three square meals a day will have atleast one computer at his home. And there's hardly anyone who uses it for anything other than surfing the net, playing games or checking mails. So, we are simply teaching them a lesson by taking their money and solving minor issues.

It's really a fun job, hearing customers scream 'Oh My God' the moment I open the System Configuration Utility (Run: msconfig) and show them weird looking startup items. My training lasted all of 12 days before I started the OJT (On the Job Training). In the words of our trainer, this was because the floor was BLEEDING. There weren't enough sales people to pick up all the calls we were getting. Life was fun until...

One fine day (or night, depending upon the time-zone you are in) I got a call from a customer who had just purchased our product. He was having trouble removing viruses from his system. Piece of cake! This was the very last call in my shift. I thought I might as well take a remote session of his computer and show him exactly show it is done. The customer said I would have to wait some time before he would be able to do the needful for me to take remote assistance.

It was only when I tried to show the customer how the software worked that I realized he was completely blind - with Windows Vista OS on his machine. He was using a text-to-speech converter on his system and our software wasn't compatible with it. My heart went out to him, frightened at what damage our software may cause on his computer. I let him know it was better if he would ask for a refund and remove our software from his system.

It is one thing to fool a lazy bum who knows nothing except drinking beer or visit pornographic sites and another to take money from a physically challenged person who had not given up despite his disability. For the first time, I realized what we'd been doing was wrong. A fool and his money are soon parted, but you should not be the one responsible for the partition.

There had been another customer who said that we had installed our software on his system without his permission. He was quite irate and wanted the software uninstalled immediately. I tried to convince him that we had over 15 million customers worldwide and we did not indulge in such back-handed tactics. He said that if I actually believed in what I said I must be the only man with scruples in the software industry. he told me I could mention any of the big names in computers and he would tell me atleast a dozen malpractices they had participated in. We all remember Microsoft and Anti-trust, don't we?

I'll be leaving the company after two months (maybe earlier, only time will tell). I just hope Infosys is really driven by values. I can't have it any other way.

The Great Indian Bureaucracy

It’s almost incredible how we blame everything on the government. Somehow, every evil that resides in the heart of our country is because of the dirty politicians. Or is it?

Since time immemorial, we have found ways to put everything on the shoulders of the few in power. But what we have failed to realize is that maybe the Devil has been painted blacker than He actually is. The biggest problem ailing our country is not politics but the bureaucracy. The Devil is not black. He is red and taped to a file near you.

How many of us shudder at the thought of going to a government office? In other words, how many of us have delved into our phone-books for a name that will help us avoid a trip to the nearest bureaucratic headquarters? Remember the time when you bribed an official so that your file would be taken care of earlier than others? Or the time when you got an agent to get a registered driver's license so that you would not have to wait for endless hours in a serpentine queue? Maybe you’ll remember the latest incident when you jumped a red light and had to part ways with a five hundred rupee note that now rests in the shirt pocket of an alert traffic official.

But are they really to blame? If you have ever visited the inside of a government office you would feel surprised that they actually manage to get some work done. Files, folders and scraps of paper stacked together provide habitat to thousands of endangered species of insects. Cupboards provide shelter to adult pigeons and their families. It’s amazing the employees are actually able to locate certain files while misplacing thousands of others. No wonder they require certain incentive for working on any file, unsympathetically called "Bribe". This incentive is the only reason government officials disregard any concerns for their own safety and work for the uplift of the community.

Politicians hardly have any say in the matter. Quite a few of them are only concerned with filling their own pockets and so they let sleeping dogs lie. Some others, filled with a misplaced sense of patriotism and altruism, try to bring about “monumental" changes. Another minuscule number of politicians, satisfied that they have taken enough from the community, decide to give something back to the country. They propose reforms and changes, blissfully unaware that by the time their ideas begin to take a definite shape five years would have passed and their legacy would be buried in an inconspicuous file in a desolate government office. Many long-term thinkers realize the irony in working five years without any hope of re-election and then being blamed for inefficiency. So they peacefully pass their term in office, promising everything but achieving nothing. This saves them the trouble of unappreciated effort.

Bureaucrats are the real power-brokers in India. People at the centre change every five years, sometimes within 13 days, but bureaucrats persist. They do not pledge allegiance to a particular party but to the nation. But they are too pre-occupied with the malfunctioning red light atop their SUVs or getting their wards out of jail for shooting people in broad daylight. As a consequence, try as they might, they just can't spare any thought for the common man.

Frankly, I have grown too tired (and poor) by bribing every peon/clerk/registrar/policeman/misc I encounter. I humbly request the powers that be to have some pity on my plight and exempt me from paying this VAT called bribe. I would be greatly obliged. Please find a note of 500 rupees attached for all the trouble caused to you.

Yours truly

A Common Man

From the archives

I wrote this post on 26 July 2007:
Reminisce and have a good time


http://engineeranurag.blogspot.com/2007/07/taj-mahala-load-off-my-back.html

Flying High

Employees in the private sector in India are a harassed lot. They are forced to work hard for their measly wages which is very bad. Or so they say.

Today, the pilots of a private airline (Jet Airways) went on strike. Some readers would like to point out that it was not a strike. The pilots just took leave, all at the same time. Poor Jet Airways had no option but to cancel all flights for the day.

The TV channels had a field day showing images of a sad lady who was unable to attend her father's funeral because her flight was canceled. She was unable to make alternate arrangements at such a short notice and sobbed on national TV. But did anyone really care? The TV channels tried their best to sensationalize the news, sucking out every bit of emotion the poor girl had. The viewers had a gala time switching channels whenever her story was re-telecast (every five minutes, approx.). The pilots had no representative on TV so they got burned as villains.

Meanwhile, other private airlines (not Jet) secretly hiked up their prices. Those booked on Jet enjoyed every moment of cursing the mothers and sisters of the Jet Airways pilots/ management of the greedy airlines.

So, whose fault was it? Unbelievably, nobody's. Frankly, you have to stand up for your rights. No one else will do it for you. You should always be prepared for emergencies. You should capitalize on your opponents' mistakes. And you should try to stay ahead of the game.

Unfortunately, the above wisdom holds true. No doubt, it was the same the wisdom in the minds of the pilots/media/airlines/public when they woke up this morning. But something everyone conveniently forgot was Humanity. Did the pilots even consider the inconvenience caused to others before they made their decision? So the pilots went on strike. Did the other airlines really need to pinch the pocket of the already suffering passengers? Did the media really have to sensationalize the story of a woman mourning for her dead father? The way they did it, any sympathy the poor lady might have got turned into apathy of the viewers.

All in all, it was another glorious day in the sovereign republic of India.

Sometimes I wonder, why do people need to be awarded (with humanitarian awards) for behaving like every human should? Something is seriously wrong somewhere.

Darkness Falls

Its been over two weeks since I last posted an entry on my blog. Not because I had few ideas, but I had a sudden rush of too many. Enjoying my glorious days of unemployment by visiting my relatives and roaming about the country, I got to learn more about people, places and particularly, myself. Everywhere I went, I found myself flooded with new ideas and posts for my blog. And yet, none were posted. Frankly, because I was scared.

One of my journeys was to Mathura, birthplace of the great Lord Krishna. For those of you who don't know about Lord Krishna, he is one of the reincarnations of God Vishnu. Lord Krishna occupies an important place in Hindu mythology (Check out this Pantheon.org article for more info). Tales of his various Leelas are as abundant as sea-shells on a beach.

Anyways, Mathura was supposed to be a spiritual destination. But what I saw was nothing but commercialization of religion. I was ashamed of the brazen manner in which the religious beliefs of followers were being exploited by the so-called spiritual gurus. On a theological level, I felt my belief in God stagger. From an agnostic, I turned into an atheist.

I feel I should not elaborate the incidents that happened. Criticizing Hinduism in India is injurious to health. So, due to safety concerns I might as well bury the matter. I felt like laughing at the fascade that is called religion and yet, I suppressed my laughter. Maybe the One in Heaven wants things this way.

Anyhow, all my sacriligious views won't be posted on the blog. More importantly, they will be collected in the form of a book (whether the book gets published is another matter altogether).

But I will not end this post without writing anything meaningful. I discovered this useful site - Pantheon.org
The site calls itself the Encyclopedia Mythica. Undoubtably, one of the largest warehouses of mythologies from around the world. Worth a glance!

Do all Christians go to Heaven?

(Original work by Stephen Knapp. Abridged by Anurag. The article is supposed to point out the fallacies in the Christian theology. What Jesus might have said has been lost in translation and what we follow today is nothing but our interpretation of His words. This is NOT an attack on Christianity. All religions deserve equal respect.)


Most Christians feel that they are bound to go to heaven simply because, as they say, Christ died for their sins. This is one of the basic principles of Christianity, which was idea originated from the apostle Paul. So, many Christians believe that even if they can't give up all of their sinful habits, all they have to do is believe in Jesus and that he died for their sins, and they will be saved. Its very simple!

Yet, mere belief in Jesus and his crucifixion as being all you need to be saved is a controversial point. Not all of the gospels that were in circulation when the New Testament was compiled agreed that the crucifixion was an act of atonement. This means that it may not be so easy just anyone to claim to be Christian and have an easy path to Heaven.

Firstly, Jesus was a Jew. His message was primarily for the Jewish people.

These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles and do not enter a city of the Samaritans
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. - Matthew 10:5

And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed."
But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."
But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Then she came and worshiped Him saying, "Lord, help me!"
But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."
And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. - Matthew 15:22-28

So, do all Christians go to heaven? Not when you consider all the rules for exclusion. According to the books in the New Testament, Jesus left specific instructions that have to be followed or entrance into heaven may not be as sure as many Christians say.

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. - Matthew 10:37

For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' - Matthew 15:4

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. - Matthew 12:36

But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. - Matthew 16:23

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or mother or father or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. - Matthew 19:29

Now we can see that requirements of getting into heaven have become more demanding. Many Christians may feel that faith alone is all they need to be saved, but these biblical quotes of Jesus certainly indicate that he expected and required much more than that. The list of rules is not exhaustive by any means. Open your copy of the Gideon Bible for more details.

So what happens to all those who cannot measure up to the proper standard?

The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and all those who practice lawlessness.
And will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. - Matthew 13:41

If all the rules that Jesus explains must be followed perfectly in order for Christians to go to heaven, then this furnace must be a mighty big place. According to Christian theology, people are given only one lifetime to have one chance at either becoming perfect and righteous or go to eternal hell. What is the value of eternal punishment if it never ends and the soul does not get a chance to rectify himself?

Death Speaks

Rarely does a person come across a story that has the power to haunt him forever. I found the story Death Speaks in a collection of short stories by Jeffrey Archer. He does not claim the story to be his, the Preface to his book To Cut A Long Story Short clearly mentioning that it was translated from Arabic, Anon being the name of the original author. Archer himself is a renowned storyteller, a fact that can be gauged from the fact that all his novels and short stories have been worldwide bestsellers. As much as I would like to share some his gems, my respect for his brilliance prevents me from pirating my collection. If you like this story, you will love the rest of his works. Here is the complete story, as it appears in "To Cut A Long Story Short":


There was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions. In a little while the servant came back, white and trembling. The servant said, "Master, just now when I was in the market-place I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture. Now lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me."

The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop; he went. Then the merchant went down to the market-place and saw me standing in the crowd. He came to me and said, "Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning?"

"That was not a threatening gesture", I said," it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra."