class divide

I was traveling to Bangalore from Bagdogra a few days back. I could feel how the class system rules and the treatment for an English and a non-English speaker, predominantly a migrant worker. My experience was limited to the aviation sector.

Pandemic has opened a new section of flayers: the migrant workers. With the limited availability of trains and metros opening up for construction and hospitality, their bosses are doing everything to get them back. This instance, paying for their flight tickets, food, and airport pickup service on arrival.

While this has opened a new revenue stream for the airline industry, it has opened up a new set of challenges for the airline industry. The industry is not ready to handle these first-time flyers, limited English speakers with love, care, and empathy. The airline industry has catered to medium and high-income English speakers.

Almost all airlines in India are ill-equipped to handle this avalanche of first-time flyers. The airlines’ crew and ground staff are in pain. And victims are these first-time flyers. I witnessed 4-5 such shouting and yelling in a single journey.

Is it the mistake of being born poor?
Is it illiteracy?
The limited job opportunity in the home state?

What is their mistake: getting an opportunity to travel in an aircraft?

Our country is divided more on class than on caste, religion, or culture. Also, we are all big bigots; we have hours to discuss what is happening in Afghanistan and no words for the oppression these folks are going through.

The whole system is ill-equipped to handle these first-time flyers. That is why I have not added the airlines’ names here.

granted

Most of us take a lot many things for granted. Be it our parents, dear ones, or our possessions. We get used to it and think these are default.

One fine day when parents get admitted to the hospital for some surgery, we realize their impermanence. We get into the misery of what all we could have done for them all this while.

When a loved one leaves us, a few weeks go into finding fault in them, and then later time goes into finding everything missing in their absence.

The life of abundance and too many choices and always being busy state has made us more careless. We have started forgetting about our near and dear ones. We have taken them all for granted.

choice

Our mind craves for: what’s next, all the time. As a result, we end up looking for the next big thing.

Also, our brain keeps a safe locker of all our past experiences, which serves us best during fight or flight scenarios.

Our present get the least attention, which should ideally be the most important part of our living.

The duality results in our brain getting confused where one part tells us what not to do because of previous experiences. The other part keeps asking us: what’s next?

We end up being in a miserable state. As a result, we seek outside help and counseling. But in most cases, being self-aware, knowing oneself helps.

Journey

Running a startup is like a movie; it has multiple phases. I was told by Ajay Gore; while we were talking. I have been troubling him on/off regularly for advice. It was him and Sidu who kicked me to start aroundstartups podcasts.

There are multiple instances in your journey when you will get tempted to go out of your organization’s guiding principle or your gut reaction or instinct. But as a founder, you are responsible for your team, company, and stakeholders.

The market will always be hot; hiring will always be a challenge and, your competitor will always raise more than you. Knowing what you don’t want will clear the fog and keep you sailing.

associate

How little things take over us. All of a sudden we become avid readers or a poet or a runner or a cook etc. Our identity becomes these skills. We end up living non-stop in this new attained skin. Something deep within we all have that longing to be loved, to be appreciated. And this skin acts as an aid.

Who are we?
Are we even original?

Our consciousness is anyways dead.

Ishq

Liya apne zindgi ko, kar diya unke hawale. Ban gaye sagird unke, ho liye unme magan, hue masroof aise ki duniya unme he bana li.

Phir ho liye ru-baru khud se, sachai se, apne naadani se. The kya hum, kya ho gaye. Aisa kya kiya, aise kyun hue hum unpe kayal.

Khudgarz hua karte the hum kisi jamane me. Khud me khoye rehte the hum un dino. Hua kya hame, kaise ho gaye hum unke mohtaaz.
Aise kaise duniya bana li humne, aise kaise zindgi ko jine lage hum.

Kya ye gulami se kam hai, kyun ye nahi jumlo sitam hai? Apne aabru se baeaabruu ho liye hum aur diya hame kayal diwana diwana pukarne lagi.
Kya zindgi hai, kya zillat hai, harfan maula hua karte the kabhi ab pagal se bane bhatakte hai unki galiyo me, unke didar ke liye.

Kyun khuda nahi pakda hame, gaya kyun chir kar wo, hum dub chuke hai aur kahi sahil dur dur tak nahi dikh padta. Kya kinara hai kahi, kya dubne he hoga hame is ishq ke samandar me.

regrets

How much of our present goes by our past regrets?
Do some of us live like zombies carrying loads of past till eternity?
Can we live now without corrupting our life with regrets of the past?
Time machines are a thing of fiction and, why don’t we get it?
Why don’t we accept it and move on?
Why are we so closed and not open to the present?
Are we living life on regrets of the past?

why

Is it tough to be who we are?
Like being honest, naked, and no posturing?
Why do we have to wear a mask?
We fake ourselves when in real, we are broken, hollow, or burnt?
Who are we showcasing this brave face of ours?
Why do we do this?
Why do we act like this?

principle

The principle is a glue that holds together an enterprise, partnership or, agreement. Sometimes under external influence, under pressure, we forget about it. It results in killing whatever we have built with all the hard work.

Once we have defined a principle, it should be our guiding force. We should not forget it.

Getting lost is easy. Keeping yourself reminded about the guiding principle is powerful. It will help in sailing through high tides or tsunami.

Mastering the VC Game

Mastering the VC Game: the book I picked last week. It talks about in-out of a VC-Founder dynamics. The author himself is a founder turned VC. 

I could relate to many things the author has mentioned. The prime of it being trust, network, and relationship. 

From the founder perspective, the book talks about:

  • Founder VC terms.
  • Founder VC fit.
  • VC add-on for founders.

I would recommend this book to first-time founders.