Fun @ work

I truly learned to have fun and enjoy life when I joined Kingfisher Airlines. This is a fun organisation and full of amazing, talented, young people. Therefore when the airline was going through a crisis I decided to do something that would keep people engaged, motivated, connected and involved.

It’s the synergy that comes from people working together and gathering creative ideas that leads to long-term organization wealth creation. That synergy and “above and beyond” behavior is evidence of employee engagement.

 

Employees are in a highly engaged state when they are doing the nonjob roles. In general, we find that most employees have a sense of fairness, and even if their employer treats them poorly, most will show up to work and do the job role. But having employees show up at work simply doing their jobs gets an employer nowhere in terms of long-term competitiveness. If all of your employees show up and only do their jobs, then you are not building organizational strength and long-term competitiveness through people because anyone can hire those same employees and duplicate what you are doing.

Source: http://www.eepulse.com/

 

Some of the results I hope to see are:

- Breakdown of barriers - work related and personal related.

- Open communication at all levels.

- A positive environment at work.

- Continuous learning through sharing of ideas and experiences.

- A sense of team work so that there is less politics and more action.

- Happiness and Joy.

 

Some of the initiatives are:  

• The Library @ Qube where employees can avail of both management and fiction books.
• A staff recreation area where they can relax, take a break, chat with other colleagues and destress.
• Movie Fridays as this is a great opportunity to interact and make friends in a relaxed environment.
• The KF Book Club to exchange ideas and thoughts centred around a book theme.
• The Joy of Giving week where we spread the joy, love, care, concern and some of our fortune to those who need it more than we do.
• The KF trek club for the "fitness" and "not so fit" freaks. Great opportunity to promote team work.
• The intranet message board to encourage communication and breaking down of invisible barriers.
• The photography contest where we showcase our talent and encourage the artistic side in us.

A walk in the clouds - a trek to Lonavla

In July at the height of the monsoons, a few of us from KF went on a trek to Tikona fort, near the Pawna dam, Lonavla. They say the fort dates back to the early 1500s and is located at a height of approximately 3500 ft above sea level. The trek started at the village of Tikona Peth. We walked through cloying red mud for quite a distance before we actually came to firm ground. Thereafter it was quite an easy trek up to the fort which was typical Maratha in style. The best part of the trek was walking in the rain with gentle clouds swirling all around us. It was absolutely heavenly.

The cloying mud which sucked off at least 4 soles!

The ancient grinder

A walk in the clouds

The reservoir

One of the darwazas

Awesome views

The actual fun part of the trek started on the way down when we decided to take the road less travelled. Later we realised that we were the only brave ones who had even attempted that particular route in the monsoons. The path was narrow, steep, slippery, treacherous and at one point disappeared from view. It took all of our resourcefulness, courage and strength to get us down especially when some of our colleagues were genuinely frightened. But slowly and surely, we finally reached the base and made our way to little hut where we washed our dirty feet and changed into dry clothes. We also had a simple village meal.

Exhausted, we boarded the bus for the return journey to Bombay but to our good fortune, the bus broke down. We then shared our experiences which was very enlightening. Some of the insights:

• We started off as strangers and ended the trek as friends.

  Teamwork saw us through the difficult parts of the trek.
• Eco conservation was of prime importance with all of us carrying our rubbish back downhill.
• There is no heirarchy on a trip like this. Great for breaking the ice amongst work groups.
• Talent amongst us was in abundance.
• There were quite a few who were natural leaders and we were pleasantly surprised.

A trek to Matheran

Walking is therapeutic, especially when it is outside Bombay, amidst nature. Our trek began at the Karjat junction. We, 19 happy trekkers guided by Chandan, walked through a village and then up a tiny hill which brought us to a beautiful serene lake. There was no one in sight except for a few villagers. The lake itself reminded me of the fjords of Norway.

The trek itself was graded as "difficult" and had 3 stages. The sun was quite intense to begin with and we were all drained out before we had even reached the second stage. Just when we were beginning to wonder if we would make it through, the sun disappeared, the temperature dropped and the weather became much more bearable. The second stage began at the base of another village where I doubt there was even electricity! Amazing to think that we were just a few hours away from the big metropolis of Bombay and even closer to Matheran which is prominent hill station, yet the abject poverty right at their doorsteps.

Anyway, we had all run out of water by then and there were no shops at the village. We had to refill our bottles at the stream that flowed from a well. All of us (city dwellers) were concerned about the quality of the water but took the chance and drank deeply. We refilled our bottles as for the next 5 hours we were not going to come across any shops! Still living to tell the tale. :)

The second stage was the longest and a bit difficult but the reward at the end of it was supreme bliss. The meadow was absolutely beautiful - a sea of bright green with a little bit of yellow from the wild flowers and hills all around. In the distance we saw some lakes and the entire scenery was pretty peaceful, relaxing and destressing.

Finally, we climbed the 3rd stage which was the steepest and the riskiest. We had to literally climb rocks whilst gripping the ones above. The path was very narrow and we were forewarned if there was strong wind to just stay in place rather than move. Everyone made it up safely and then we took "Titanic" style pictures at the edge of the Garbut Point. From there it was a good hour and a half walk to where the lunch was served. Imagine us, hungry trekkers, having lunch at half past 6 in the evening. We were all exhausted but still able to protect our food from the naughty monkeys around.

Some of the things I learned on the trek:

• We are as strong as our weakest link. True teamwork got us through this tough trek.
• The power of the mind is incredible. One of our team was not keeping too well and had the choice to quit the trek at the first stage but he opted to go for it and he made it!!
• God's creation is absolutely wonderful and cannot be replicated. A few hours out of Bombay and we had a gorgeous place to destress. Further, it was so beautiful and serene, it kind of reminded me of Norway at one stage.
• We are truly privileged to lead the lives we do. We came across some villages where there may or may not have been electricity. We were struggling on the trek but that is the route used by the villagers in their daily lives. We even came across a pregnant woman walking up and down the hill with a load on her head!!
• Life is actually simple. We make it complicated.

Some trivia about Matheran:

• Matheran is in the Western Ghats, 90 kms away from Mumbai and 120 kms away from Pune.
• The British discovered it in 1850 and developed it as a hill station.
• It is 2625 kms above sea level and has panoramic views and breathtaking charm.
• The roads/paths are made of red laterite earth and there are no paved roads in Matheran.
• Beyond Dasturi which is 9 kms from Matheran, no vehicles are allowed. So you have to actually walk or hire a horse or be carried up.
• There is a narrow gauge railway line that connects Neral to Matheran.

Fjords in Matheran!

Pretty streams added to the beauty.

I love the rice terraces.

Absolutely gorgeous views of the lake.

The wild flowers gave a different perspective.

The beautiful meadow.

A Disappearing Number - a review of the play

Last week I attended a magnificent play at the NCPA, brought to India by the Prithvi Theatre group and ofcourse co-sponsored by Kingfisher Airlines.

It is a play about the mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan and his English mentor G H Hardy. It is a play within a play because there are multiple stories across different time zones as well as different locations. A pattern of stories links people across time and space - Ramanujan to Hardy, a contemporary mathematician to Ramanujan, a businessman to this mathematician, an Indian diaspora travelling freely across the globe.

And threaded through this pattern of stories and ideas are questions; questions about mathematics and beauty, imagination and the nature of infinity, about what is continuous and what is permanent, how we are attached to the past and how we affect the future, how we create and how we love.

I particularly enjoyed the extensive use of technology and the simplicity yet complexity of the sets. The subject matter itself is so complex that it demands to be viewed more than once. A true "Matrix" like play. Overall it was a superb production and one of the best plays I have attended in India.

Iceland and Volcanic Ash

Poor Iceland...............am feeling quite sorry for them. Last year the country went bankrupt - a financial meltdown. And now, in the last few days, there was a literal "meltdown"! The Eyjafjallajökull (wonder how you pronounce that!) volcano in Iceland erupted about a month ago and a few days ago, it erupted for the second time melting ice, shooting smoke and steam into the air and forcing hundreds of people to flee rising floodwaters.

The result - volcanic ash cloud has drifted over Northern and Western Europe forcing closure of airspace. This in turn has resulted in flight disruptions and cancellations, thousands of passengers being stranded and total chaos at airports. IATA estimates that airlines have lost about USD 200 million per day!!

Was I affected? Yes, even though I am in India, which is in Asia and far, far away from Iceland!
How have I been affected?
We at Kingfisher have had to cancel both our London flights for the past few days and we have no clue when the situation will stabilise and schedules can be recovered. Our guests have been totally inconvenienced but truly the situation is beyond our control and we have tried our best to minimise their pain.
Personally, I was off to Adelaide, Australia to attend a conference. Guess what? The world is a global village. The Icelandic volcanic ash had an impact on Qantas' operations out of Singapore. All passengers were being checked in only upto Singapore and from there on we were advised to contact the transfer desk. However I did not have a Singapore visa and so they would not allow me to board the flight from Mumbai.
Anyway, so I went back to the office and proceeded to cancel my travel plans. Only to find that Kingfisher is so important to the conference that the organisers were willing to purchase my ticket. So am now going to Adelaide on Sunday.

Some pictures of the volcano and its effects.....................

Smoke billows from an erupting volcano which seems to be close to the top of the Eyjafjalla glacier on April 14, 2010 near Reykjavik. All London flights, including those from Heathrow, will be suspended from noon (1100 GMT) today due to volcanic ash from Iceland that has already caused almost 300 cancellations here, officials said. (AFP/Getty Images)

An aerial handout photo from the Icelandic Coast Guard shows flood caused by a volcanic eruption at Eyjafjalla Glacier in southern Iceland April 14, 2010. The volcanic eruption on Wednesday partially melted a glacier, setting off a major flood that threatened to damage roads and bridges and forcing hundreds to evacuate from a thinly populated area. Picture taken April 14, 2010. (REUTERS/Icelandic Coast Guard/Arni Saeberg)

Melting ice caused by a volcanic eruption at Eyjafjalla Glacier in southern Iceland April 14, 2010. (REUTERS/Icelandic Coast Guard/Arni Saeberg)

Photo taken on April 14, 2010 the Markarfljot glacial river, west of the Eyjafjalla glacier. Iceland's second volcano eruption in less than a month melted part of a glacier and caused heavy flooding on April 14, forcing up to 800 people to evacuate and grounding some flights over Norway. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty Images)

Flooding caused by a volcanic eruption at Eyjafjalla Glacier in southern Iceland April 14, 2010. (REUTERS/Icelandic Coast Guard/Arni Saeberg)

A man takes a picture of a road that has been washed away by flood water following the melting of the Eyjafjalla glacier due to the eruption of a volcano on April 14, 2010 near Reykjavik. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty Images)

In this Wednesday April 14, 2010 photograph, smoke and steam are seen rising from the volcano under the Eyjafjalla glacier in Iceland, which erupted for the second time in less than a month, melting ice, shooting smoke and steam into the air and forcing hundreds of people to flee rising floodwaters. (AP Photo/Icelandic Coastguard)

This picture taken on March 27, 2010 shows lava spurting out of the site of a volcanic eruption at the Eyjafjallajökull volcano some 125 km east of Reykjavik. With lava still gushing, a small Icelandic volcano that initially sent hundreds fleeing from their homes is turning into a boon for the island nation's tourism industry, as visitors flock to catch a glimpse of the eruption. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty Images)

Lava spews out of a mountain on March 21, 2010 in the region of the Eyjafjalla glacier in Iceland. (RAGNAR AXELSSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Lava spurts out of the site of a volcanic eruption at the Eyjafjallajökull volcano near the Eyjafjalla glacier in Iceland on March 27, 2010. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty Images)

Lava spews out of a mountain on March 21, 2010 in Hvolsvöllur in the region of the Eyjafjalla glacier in Iceland. (Fior Kjartansson/AFP/Getty Images)

Steam and hot gases rise above lava flowing from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano on April 3rd, 2010. Original here. (Ulrich Latzenhofer / CC BY-SA)

Source: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/icelands_disruptive_volcano.html

Fun at Work........................

"Fun at Work" is an initiative by our Human Resource department to create excitement, team building and togetherness amongst the employees. As part of this initiative, yesterday we went for a Photography workshop at the Canon Lab at the Atria Mall, Worli, Mumbai.

We learnt not only how to use the various features of the camera but also the basics in taking good photographs by concentrating on depth, composition, lighting, placement, etc.

The group who went....................

Some of the photographs taken as practice.

Later, we decided to have dinner and drinks at the Woodside Inn, Colaba. It is a cosy restaurant which serves amazing pizzas.