Power Breaks

After a long hibernation! The first two months of the year was truly business focused. The run for top line and bottom line expectations, squeezed out most of the time leaving behind a few ounce that was wasted in reading concerning realities of my city, my country and my world.. Each provoking to think more and more! Just to drown in dark reality with every passing day.
Concrete jungle makes you feel stuffy; solace travels make you feel insecure; every morning brings in technology to challenge sustenance that calls for fierce competition; pain and injustice calls for patience; just that mind looks for unadulterated fresh air far away from hard realities. Recalling Pari an all time unit of ‘fresh air’ for me!
Well Pari was an ordinary individual like you and me with a passion for smoking little extraordinary than others. He had a show full name but that’s how others called him. Several years back, I took over his responsibilities of an old engagement. We had planned for the transition. I had to do it right and hence was geared towards it. The day we got introduced he sounded like this would be a cake walk. After a convenient communication he concluded with a final note –
“I take few short-breaks in a day; we would work out as we progress”. It was much later I realized that this final statement was a very critical one! He had set the expectation but I missed the hint.
First day of transition, it was just a feeling that he took quite a number of unwanted breaks. In the following two days the feelings converted to believe. In a week’s time started recording a metal metrics. Yes, I take the liberty to mark him as a chain smoker. His choking needs to take few puffs resulted in deceleration of my assignment – was my forming judgment.
Over chit-chat with cozy friends shared the discomfort of such a takeover. The insensitive journey continued…as he had his choice to be a smoker, he had friends to join him in the smoke-breaks; he had Bisu-da’s tea stall to support his needs, more over he had free air to puff off a bundle of smoke..After all he felt choked with continuous work for long. Now what is long? – Could be a pertinent question. Formed a view - it depends on context and the personality. To some even months may not be that long while for some 15 mins may be long!
The project graphs were brilliantly red with occasional green in patches .But guess to render explanation of a red graph he needed smoke power. But world at my end was changing. It was two weeks in a row we had been in this smoky transition. During office transit, in public bus jostling with unknown crowd spawned one thought after the other on what I believed were strategic ones to jump and reach the end of this journey faster. But the next business day ended as one more day with a subdued acceptance of the situation. To all ears I poured these feelings, most said it was way of life – accept it!
The unrest in me propelled. Well wishers said all is not perfect in reality. It was one such smoke break and this time I also took a break to stroll down the office lobby till the coffee machine. ..Was blending Lipton tea bag into the steaming water when a firm voice from the back –
“So, how are you?” - sounded like a pleasant breeze.
“Great!” – I sounded over exuberant. Wanted to cushion my discomfort and portray a comfort feeling on my assignment. He stood a few rungs up my ladder and have mostly seen him in town hall meetings from far length.
“Is the transition over?” - I was not expecting him to have tracing this operation as I thought he had bigger things to do.
Shakily I said – “It is mostly done!”
He picked up his coffee cup and continued - “The little that is left would be only over once you take it up!”
Passerby on the corridor gave an angular look and I was relishing an open power association. Pari’s stereo break translated into a sudden opportunity.

I was about to throw the paper cup into the half filled bin, that he asked – “So can we say the transition is complete and you take up the charge today?”

The wish-list window opened up with a bang. Dared not to miss this opportunity to give Pari a real break!

He gave a power speech – “Transition empowers you with only information. But leading calls for self confidence.”

Back home on the same public bus travelled with a taste of fresh air. The compressed composition was not enough to deter the joy of being a young leader who just got to see a new world of responsibility officially published and accepted.

Each morning that starts with multiple red news, Pari syndrome ticks in for pursuit of fresh air. Wonder if a few transforming leaders could stand on varied corridors to strike a spark to boost confidence in all walks of life to value peace over pleasure.
Gyan #38 - Bigyan (Science) is just information, gyan (Knowledge) is inspiration.

Beyond Exemption

“Baki raka Khajna, mote bhalo kaj na” [It not good to keep unpaid Tax] - an old riddle from “Hirak Raja-r Desh e” a Bengali film directed by the great visionary Satyajit Ray, was probably one of my first introduction to the world of Tax. Then on, gathered bookish knowledge from media along with witnessing environmental excitement in the month of Feb and March - in and after the ‘National Budget’ timeframe.
Post being employed as a salaried person and in service for quite some time have gone thru my share of the Tax lessons. As forms, reforms, slabs and the series of 80 A, B, C… keeps changing I kept adjusting to them often re-invent to make life simple using Saral and at times complicating by prolonged Saral. A few calendar dates to abide by, a few calls to IT Agent and his service tax. Get set go – clip in the next file stamped by government for your record. Ensure to collect a clearance certificate from IT dept. Net – Net it should say you owe your government Zero for the assessment year.
Drawback of profession – I like handling money on excel in form of data point more than reality. For last couple of years, while preparing personal balance sheet – yeah I play with figures but just to check out my expenditure trend the last financial year. Be my own Boss to ask – what did I do with my money? Hard earned money – need to be accountable. Learned these expenditure buckets from credit card trend analysis –apparel, beauty, health, loan, car, house etc..etc.
Varsa – a little kid whom I sponsor for a better tomorrow shapes up in my expense list. That is the only expenditure I feel I would not mind doing little more. I receive an 80C from the NGO who nourishes Varsa. Not sure, maybe I would have done the same without that form too.
Hard work and off course God’s wish have increased credit amount on my personal work sheet. But debit increases in greater proposition. Auditing eyes rush with a magnifying glass - on the expense component. Life style errors! Possible - moved on from neighbourhood parlors to branded beauty salons. Instead of getting stitched clothes walk down to malls – o no, not for Rohit Bal collections, ordinary stuff has extra bugs tagged – the tax one pays for a/c luxury markets.
But it was even beyond. Kalpana’s elder sister got married last year. Kalpana – is a friend to me, 15 years younger to me and by profession my maid. It was the most wanted marriage, to help her family survive. In her community only hard cash works. I just helped a friend. She is stronger than many of us. To salute her passion to drive out all odds and show up a smiley face, I gave her money to get her terminally ill brother undergo chemo therapies.
It is just not Kalpana – I have Sumi-di too. She supports my family once in a while when Kalpana is too bogged with family issues. A mother of two sons, Sumi-di is only 35 years but lost her husband a few years back. Her younger son had landed up with multiple fractures and underwent a major surgery. They are my extended family in the society. I helped her to pay off the hefty medical bills she incurred along with a few of my neighbors. They all appear in my excel file.
These are no noble incidents. It is expected out of any compassionate country-person for the lesser privileged ones around. It is difficult for government to help just in time for every such need. Not sure if these calls for 80 series, as that would make this small giving’s land up in add-on paper works and kill the spirit of it. We are there to support these as our moral responsibility and sheer pleasure that it made a difference to someone we know.
I participate in large structured donation campaigns too – where I guess most of us feel more connected when the end utilization of what we shared is communicated on time accurately. To me tax benefits have marginal impact on what we donate to society if ones mission is to help.
But hang on, world has many thoughts. The other day an old acquaintance of mine dropped by. Over a cup to tea he pointed at the fresh photo in the frame located in my book cabinet – “Who is she?”
I jubilantly said – “She is Varsa …..” – In one breath I completed the whole relationship.
His immediate next question was – “They give you tax benefit?” I least expected it!
Gyan #9 – Mindframe determines how you interpret a chapter.
[Dedicated to IndiBlogger of the Month Social Causes contest, sponsored by GiveIndia!]