Is it possible to provide free shelters to the homeless?
A team of young and creative people, Michael Polacek, Michal Nedorolik and Martin Lee Keniz with a vision of a better future, would like to make that happen though their company DesignDevelop by working on Gregory project .
It does not make sense though, when they have estimated that it will cost £41,000 to produce a prototype of 18 sq m (194 sq ft) of floor space that will include a bathroom, a kitchen, an office space, a bed with additional storage area. To top that, a further £60,000 will be required to create an additional off-grid version with independent systems to connect the shelter with electricity, water and sewer systems.
Who will be willing be bear the cost to build and maintain it so that the homeless can stay there free of charge? They have the answer. Advertisers! The idea is to have the shelters incorporated into the advertisers' billboards so that the income from advertising could subsidize the shelters' running costs.
What would a billboard shelter look like? Check this video out.
If you like to see this a success, you can contribute to Project Gregory at their Kickstarter page.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
That day has arrived!
Did Albert Einstein really made this statement? According to a post on Yahoo Answers, the quote it not noted in the comprehensive collection of Einstein quotations from Princeton University Press.
Does it make sense to you?
Does it make sense to you?
From My InBox:
The days of idiots have arrived.
Planning their honeymoon
Cheering on your team.
Having dinner out with your friends.
Out on an intimate date.
Having a conversation with your BFF
A visit to the museum
Enjoying the sights
Saturday, November 1, 2014
GRANDPARENTS-A B'ful relationship
Memory of my grandma. My grandma assures me that it is safe to eat stale bread once I removed the mold. She passed away at 101. That's how she gets to grow so old? What did yours taught you?
From My Inbox:
Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting. ~Author Unknown
What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change,
and they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure. ~Gene Perret
Grandmothers are just 'antique' little girls. ~Author Unknown
Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild.
~ Welsh Proverb
A grandmother is a babysitter who watches the kids instead
of the television.. ~Author Unknown
Never have children, only grandchildren. ~Gore Vidal
Becoming a grandmother is wonderful. One moment you're just
a mother. The next you are all-wise and prehistoric. ~Pam Brown
Grandchildren don't stay young forever, which is good because
Grandfathers have only so many horsy rides in them. ~Gene Perret
When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window.
~ Ogden Nash
Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just
you all day and now the day was complete. ~ Marcy DeMaree
Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies. ~Author unknown
Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our
hearts forever. ~Author Unknown
If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren,
I'd have had them first. ~Lois Wyse
My grandkids believe I'm the oldest thing in the world. And after
two or three hours with them, I believe it, too. ~Gene Perret
If becoming a grandmother was only a matter of choice, I should
advise every one of you straight away to become one. There is
no fun for old people like it! ~ Hannah Whithall Smith
It's such a grand thing to be a mother of a mother - that's why the
world calls her grandmother. ~Author Unknown
Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing
old. ~ Mary H. Waldrip
You do not really understand something unless you can explain
it to your grandmother. ~Proverb
An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again.
Anything longer than that, and you start to age quickly. ~Gene Perret
The best baby-sitters, of course, are the baby's grandparents. You
feel completely comfortable entrusting your baby to them for long
periods, which is why most grandparents flee to Florida . ~ Dave Barry
I wish I had the energy that my grandchildren have - if only for
self-defense. ~Gene Perret
Grandmother-grandchild relationships are simple. Grandmas
are short on criticism and long on love. ~Author Unknown
Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do
Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of
little children. ~Alex Haley
Grandmother - a wonderful mother with lots of
practice. ~Author Unknown
A grandparent is old on the outside but young on
the inside. ~Author Unknown
One of the most powerful handclasps is that of a new
grandbaby around the finger of a grandfather. ~Joy Hargrove
It's amazing how grandparents seem so young once you
become one. ~Author Unknown
If your baby is 'beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses,
sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the
time,' you're the grandma. ~Teresa Bloomingdale
Grandparents are similar to a piece of string - handy to have
around and easily wrapped around the fingers of their
grandchildren. ~Author Unknown
What is it about grandparents that is so lovely? I'd like to say
that grandparents are God's gifts to children. And if they can
but see, hear and feel what these people have to give, they
can mature at a fast rate. ~ Bill Cosby
Grandchildren don't make a man feel old;
it's the knowledge that he's married to a grandmother.
What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change,
and they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure. ~Gene Perret
Grandmothers are just 'antique' little girls. ~Author Unknown
Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild.
~ Welsh Proverb
A grandmother is a babysitter who watches the kids instead
of the television.. ~Author Unknown
Never have children, only grandchildren. ~Gore Vidal
Becoming a grandmother is wonderful. One moment you're just
a mother. The next you are all-wise and prehistoric. ~Pam Brown
Grandchildren don't stay young forever, which is good because
Grandfathers have only so many horsy rides in them. ~Gene Perret
When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window.
~ Ogden Nash
Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just
you all day and now the day was complete. ~ Marcy DeMaree
Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies. ~Author unknown
Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our
hearts forever. ~Author Unknown
If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren,
I'd have had them first. ~Lois Wyse
My grandkids believe I'm the oldest thing in the world. And after
two or three hours with them, I believe it, too. ~Gene Perret
If becoming a grandmother was only a matter of choice, I should
advise every one of you straight away to become one. There is
no fun for old people like it! ~ Hannah Whithall Smith
It's such a grand thing to be a mother of a mother - that's why the
world calls her grandmother. ~Author Unknown
Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing
old. ~ Mary H. Waldrip
You do not really understand something unless you can explain
it to your grandmother. ~Proverb
An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again.
Anything longer than that, and you start to age quickly. ~Gene Perret
The best baby-sitters, of course, are the baby's grandparents. You
feel completely comfortable entrusting your baby to them for long
periods, which is why most grandparents flee to Florida . ~ Dave Barry
I wish I had the energy that my grandchildren have - if only for
self-defense. ~Gene Perret
Grandmother-grandchild relationships are simple. Grandmas
are short on criticism and long on love. ~Author Unknown
Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do
Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of
little children. ~Alex Haley
Grandmother - a wonderful mother with lots of
practice. ~Author Unknown
A grandparent is old on the outside but young on
the inside. ~Author Unknown
One of the most powerful handclasps is that of a new
grandbaby around the finger of a grandfather. ~Joy Hargrove
It's amazing how grandparents seem so young once you
become one. ~Author Unknown
If your baby is 'beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses,
sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the
time,' you're the grandma. ~Teresa Bloomingdale
Grandparents are similar to a piece of string - handy to have
around and easily wrapped around the fingers of their
grandchildren. ~Author Unknown
What is it about grandparents that is so lovely? I'd like to say
that grandparents are God's gifts to children. And if they can
but see, hear and feel what these people have to give, they
can mature at a fast rate. ~ Bill Cosby
Grandchildren don't make a man feel old;
it's the knowledge that he's married to a grandmother.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Silence of Mind!
From My InBox:
Silence of Mind!
There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him.
After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn. He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded. Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.
The farmer looked at him and thought, "Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough." So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.
The boy replied, "I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction."
Moral : A peaceful mind can think better than a worked up mind. Allow a few minutes of silence to your mind every day, and see, how sharply it helps you to set your life the way you expect it to be! The soul always knows what to do to heal itself.... The challenge is to silence the mind
Frank
From My InBox:
A man walks into the street and manages to get a taxi just going by. He gets into the taxi, and the cabbie says, "Perfect timing. You're just like Frank "
Passenger: "Who?"
Cabbie: "Frank Feldman. He's a guy who did everything right - all the time. Like my coming along when you needed a cab, things happened like that to Frank - every single time."
Passenger: "There are always a few clouds over everybody."
Cabbie: "Not Frank. He was a terrific athlete. He could have won the Grand Slam at tennis. He could golf with the pros. He sang like an opera baritone and danced like a Broadway star and you should have heard him play the piano."
Passenger: "Sounds like he was something really special"
Cabbie: "There's more.......He had a memory like a computer. Could remember everybody's birthday. He knew all about wine, which foods to order and which fork to eat them with. He could fix anything. Not like me. I change a fuse, and the whole street blacks out."
Passenger. "Wow, some guy then."
Cabbie: "He always knew the quickest way to go in traffic and avoid traffic jams, not like me, I always seem to get stuck in them."
Passenger. "Mmm, there's not many like him around."
Cabbie: "And he knew how to treat a woman and make her feel good and never answer her back even if she was in the wrong; and his clothing was always immaculate, shoes highly polished too - the perfect man!"
Passenger: "An amazing fellow. How did you meet him?
Cabbie: "Well, I never actually met Frank."
Passenger: "Then how do you know so much about him?"
Cabbie: "I married his fucking widow."
Passenger: "Who?"
Cabbie: "Frank Feldman. He's a guy who did everything right - all the time. Like my coming along when you needed a cab, things happened like that to Frank - every single time."
Passenger: "There are always a few clouds over everybody."
Cabbie: "Not Frank. He was a terrific athlete. He could have won the Grand Slam at tennis. He could golf with the pros. He sang like an opera baritone and danced like a Broadway star and you should have heard him play the piano."
Passenger: "Sounds like he was something really special"
Cabbie: "There's more.......He had a memory like a computer. Could remember everybody's birthday. He knew all about wine, which foods to order and which fork to eat them with. He could fix anything. Not like me. I change a fuse, and the whole street blacks out."
Passenger. "Wow, some guy then."
Cabbie: "He always knew the quickest way to go in traffic and avoid traffic jams, not like me, I always seem to get stuck in them."
Passenger. "Mmm, there's not many like him around."
Cabbie: "And he knew how to treat a woman and make her feel good and never answer her back even if she was in the wrong; and his clothing was always immaculate, shoes highly polished too - the perfect man!"
Passenger: "An amazing fellow. How did you meet him?
Cabbie: "Well, I never actually met Frank."
Passenger: "Then how do you know so much about him?"
Cabbie: "I married his fucking widow."
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Irish Ghost Story
IRISH GHOST STORY
From My InBox:
This story happened a while ago in Dublin , and even though it sounds like
an Alfred Hitchcock tale, it's true.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
John Bradford, a Dublin University student, was on the side of
the road hitchhiking on a very dark night and in the midst of a
big storm.
The night was rolling on and no car went by. The storm was so
Strong he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him.
Suddenly, he saw a car slowly coming towards him and it stopped
John, desperate for shelter and without thinking about it, got into
the car and closed the door.... Only to realize there was nobody
behind the wheel and the engine wasn't on. The car started moving
slowly. John looked at the road ahead and saw a curve approaching
Scared, he started to pray, begging for his life. Then, just before
the car hit the curve, a hand appeared out of nowhere through the
window, and turned the wheel. John, paralyzed with terror, watched
as the hand came through the window, but never touched or harmed him.
Shortly thereafter, John saw the lights of a pub appear down the road,
so, gathering strength, he jumped out of the car and ran to it.. Wet
and out of breath, he rushed inside and started telling everybody about
the horrible experience he had just had.
A silence enveloped the pub when everybody realized he was crying...
And wasn't drunk.
Suddenly, the door opened, and two other people walked in from the dark
and stormy night. They, like John, were also soaked and out of breath.
Looking around, and seeing John Bradford sobbing at the bar, one said to
the other...
'Look Paddy....there's that fooking idiot that got in the car while we were
pushing it!'
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Why teachers drink!
What could be upseting teacher the world over?
From My InBox:
From My InBox:
These are so so funny but also sad when you consider the ignorance.
Why Teachers Drink
The following questions were set in last year's GED examination. These are genuine answers (from 16 year olds)
Q. Name the four seasons.
A... Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar
Q. How is dew formed?
A... The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire
Q. What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on?
A... If you are buying a house they will insist that you are well endowed
Q. In a democratic society, how important are elections
A... Very important. Sex can only happen when a male gets an election
Q. What are steroids?
A... Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs
(Shoot yourself now, there is little hope)
Q. What happens to your body as you age?
A... When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental
Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A... He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery
(So true)
Q. Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A... Premature death
Q. What is artificial insemination?
A... When the farmer does it to the bull instead of the cow
Q. How can you delay milk turning sour?
A... Keep it in the cow
(Simple, but brilliant)
Q. How are the main 20 parts of the body categorized (e.g. The abdomen)
A... The body is consisted into 3 parts - the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity.
The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels: A,E,I,O,U
Q. What is the fibula?
A... A small lie
Q. What does 'varicose' mean?
A... Nearby
Q. What is the most common form of birth control?
A... Most people prevent contraception by wearing a condominium
(That would work)
Q. Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarean section'.
A... The caesarean section is a district in Rome
Q. What is a seizure?
A... A Roman Emperor.
(Julius Seizure, I came, I saw, I had a fit)
Q. What is a terminal illness?
A... When you are sick at the airport.
(Irrefutable)
Q. What does the word 'benign' mean?
A... Benign is what you will be after you be eight
(brilliant)
Q. What is a turbine?
A... Something an Arab or Shreik wears on his head. Once a Arab boy reaches puberty, he removes his diaper and wraps it around his head.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
EBOLA VIRUS
From My InBox:
•There is currently an Ebola outbreak putting all of us at risk.
•Pls help educate all around u by sending this msg to all your contacts..
■It's a virus that attacks a person blood system:■Ebola is what scientists call a hemorrhagic fever - it operates by making■Usually victims bleed to death.■Ebola is highly contagious;■Being transmitted via contact with body fluids■ About 90% of people that catch Ebola will die from it.■It's one of the deadliest diseases in the world, killing in just a few weeks.■Untreatable(no cure): Ebola has no known treatment or cure (for now).■Victims are usually treated for symptoms with the faint hope that they recover.
■Wash Your Hands with Soap.■Do this a lot.
■You can also use a good hand sanitizer.
■Avoid unnecessary physical contact with people.■The virus cannot survive disinfectants,heat, direct sunlight,detergents and soaps.•Educate Everyone:•Tell your neighbours, colleagues and domestic staff (anyone really).
•Basically you're safer when everyone is educated.****************************************************************************************************************
The elitist sports
Should you be attracted to men who are into elitist sports? The kind that historically have been associated with wealth?
From My InBox:
Friday, October 24, 2014
Before fixing damaged it...
If your kids enjoy fixing electronics in the house, ifixit is where you would like them to go to before they renders the gadgets worthless.
And what else can they learn in the process?
And what else can they learn in the process?
Thursday, October 16, 2014
ONE CAN'T BEAT THE INDIAN INGENUITY
From My InBox:
ONE CAN'T BEAT THE INDIAN INGENUITY
Dear All,
If you are doing MBA in business management here is something that you won't find in text books. But you could write a best seller. This itself could be one. 'LESSONS ON INDIAN INGENUITY. AND, GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS WITH PRAYERS.
A great case study for all management students!!
ONE CAN'T BEAT THE INDIAN INGENUITY – AT BEATING A SYSTEM
The world started taking notice of the 'Indian Ingenuity' about the time when software professionals were needed to help businesses with the Y2K issue. After that, our IT engineers started spreading their wings all over. Everyone has now accepted that India had arrived on the brain map of the world. But we know that this was not the real beginning - our ingenuity has a long history.
I would like to share one incident with you, which took place on one of my flights to prove my point. It could become a case study for any good business management school/ college. You can decide about that after you read the story.
THE FLIGHT
This happened on one of my flights when I was flying the Airbus-310 in Air India to the Gulf. It was on Jeddah – Mumbai sector some time in 1987/88. This was way before 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Terrorism had not shown its ugly face on the flights yet. The atmosphere on the flights used to be very cordial and friendly. I used to follow a routine on all my flights which I continued with till my retirement in 1998.
After reaching the designated altitude and settling down for some time, I would handover the controls to my co-pilot and take a walk around in the aircraft. I would go right up to the tail section of the aeroplane to meet the passengers on board and the crew as well. This habit of mine kept the cabin crew on their toes and the passengers were happy to see their pilot mixing around with them. The fear of terrorists, terrorism was unheard of. Those were the wonderful and blissful days of freedom on board the aircraft.
On this particular flight, when I reached the tail section I found a very strange group of people. They were really odd looking passengers. Some of them were maimed, some looked polio affected or with some deformity. They all were dressed very poorly. They did not look like Gulf returnees. After flying in the Gulf for a long time, we could make out a Gulf returnee at first glance. On seeing such a crowd I asked our In-flight Supervisor if these people had asked for some sort of help on landing. The answer was 'No'. A normal passenger in such a condition would certainly ask for a wheelchair. All that looked very odd to me. So after my round when I got back to the cockpit it kept bugging me about that odd group. I thought that I must investigate more about them.
So after some time I went back again to the tail section of the aircraft and asked the purser who was working in that section about the group. He told me that the group had two persons looking after all of them. I met those guys and started talking to them. I asked them where are they from. On seeing me in uniform they were very reluctant to talk to me. On persisting one of them said that they were from Eastern UP. I told them that I had also stayed in that part of our country for some time when I was posted to Air force Station at Gorakhpur. They could not believe me as one of them was from Gorakhpur. After exchanging few notes they were convinced that I was telling the truth. Then the next thing I asked them was if they wanted to see the 'Hawai Jahaj', the airplane. Of course, they were keen. So I took both of them to the front and showed the cockpit from the door. On seeing all that they were just speechless. By now they were very much at home with me. Now when I asked them a few more questions, the whole story came tumbling out - and what a story that was! What I heard was just mind boggling.
THE STORY
The group was of about 25/30 people. They were all Muslim beggars from Eastern UP. They were brought to Jeddah for 'UMRAH' pilgrimage before the start of the month of 'Ramadan' by their 'Bade Chacha' who was sitting up front somewhere. Now they all were going back after 'Ramadan' and after the Id celebrations, There is NO problem about getting their passports and other permissions as there is no quota for 'Umrah' pilgrimage. They all stayed in a cheap 'Musafirkhana' in Jeddah. Their ONLY job during their stay at Jeddah was that during 'Ramadan' every evening they had to go and BEG in front different mosques in the city. At the end of the day all the money that was collected by them would be handed over to the 'Bade Chacha'. Nothing more was required from them. After they reached their homes in India, they all would be given Rs.10,000 / (Ten thousand) cash. That sort of money they would never see again in their life. When they told me how all that was done, I had to salute the INGENUITY of their 'Bade Chacha'.
MODUS OPERANDI
This is how the things worked. The BOSS (Bade Chacha) used to collect 25 to 30 Muslim beggars in UP well before the beginning of 'Ramadan'- month of fasting. He would have no difficulty in getting passports/Visa for them from the Lucknow Passport Office. Any Muslim could apply for 'Umrah' pilgrimage at any time as there are no restrictions on their travel. He would then approach Air India through his travel agent for a group booking asking for the cheapest rates which he could get. After reaching Jeddah he would accommodate them in the cheapest 'Musafirkhana'. As there is no big rush like the HAJ time, he would have no problem on that. He would spend very little on that account. Food for all these people would come from different mosques, where food is distributed to any one before the sunrise and after the sunset. Expenses on food during the day are nil as all of them are supposed to be fasting. So for the whole month of Ramadan feeding this big group was NO big problem.
Now during Ramadan, before breaking their daily fast the local Arabs would like to dole out alms (big amounts) to the needy and poor. So all these people would BEG in front different mosques and the money collected would be given to the Boss. After Ramadan there would be Id celebrations where these people would earn even more. So after a nice stay of more than a month in Jeddah they would head back home. A very smart operation performed by any standard.
After a long chat I told them to get back to their seats with a promise that they will introduce me to their 'Bade Chacha' after landing.
AFTER LANDING
After reaching Mumbai when we, the cockpit crew, reached the customs hall, I found my friends with their Bade Chacha waiting for their checked in baggage. So I went and met the boss. He looked like a very nice and docile man. When I asked him about his activities, he told me that he was doing all this for these poor people. They would never get a chance to do the HAJ pilgrimage so as good hearted man he was doing all this. I told him that I very much appreciated his good deed and we parted.
While going back home I started thinking about the whole flight and my encounter with this group of people. I found that this to be a fantastic case of WIN - WIN - WIN situation. Going over in my mind I realised that every single person is happy in this story.
The Arab who doled out alms to the needy before breaking his fast during Ramadan was very happy for doing some good deed for that day.
The Muslim Beggar, who could never have imagined a plane ride and the religious pilgrimage, was able to do so. Then for more than a month he had a food feast! Free of charge. On finishing the whole trip he would be given ten thousand rupees cash in hand. He would be the happiest man on the earth.
Now about the 'Bade Chacha'. When we all thought and calculated about the whole operation we realised that this man even after taking care of all the expenses for the group must have earned a cool amount of ten to twelve lakh of rupees per trip. One can imagine the value of that in 1987. So he too would a very happy man.
The events on this whole flight got me thinking. Every single person involved in this story was happy and satisfied. But there was a tinge of exploitation somewhere at some stage. I could not pin point it where! So I wrote an article on the episode which published in one of the Marathi news papers. I thought I had covered all the angles of the story. BUT that was not the case!
TAIL PIECE
After about a month when I was going on a flight, one of the Immigration officers came to me and asked me my name and then introduced himself. He had read my article in the newspaper and he wanted to talk about that. The information he came out with was even more baffling and much more interesting. Since he was working at the airport, his info was very authentic.
This was the time when Indian economy had not opened up to the world markets as yet. Gadgets like Washing machines, VCR's, TV's were very much in demand. So the travel agent who had booked this group would import such gadgets on their names as 'UNACCOMPANIED' baggage later on. Those poor people would not know anything about this at all. The custom rule was that passengers can get such stuff into the country within three months of their arrival date. So very thing was proper and legal. There was a ready market available for such items which would be sold with very big premiums. So now the travel agent and few officers shared the loot. This was the fourth or fifth angle to my story. MIND BOGGLING.
I hope now you will agree with me that this qualifies as a case study for any Business Management school/college. This was a Win-Win-Win-Win situation, everyone is happy in the end.
One thing is for sure, you can't beat the INDIAN INGENUITY at beating a system.
ONE CAN'T BEAT THE INDIAN INGENUITY
Dear All,
If you are doing MBA in business management here is something that you won't find in text books. But you could write a best seller. This itself could be one. 'LESSONS ON INDIAN INGENUITY. AND, GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS WITH PRAYERS.
A great case study for all management students!!
ONE CAN'T BEAT THE INDIAN INGENUITY – AT BEATING A SYSTEM
The world started taking notice of the 'Indian Ingenuity' about the time when software professionals were needed to help businesses with the Y2K issue. After that, our IT engineers started spreading their wings all over. Everyone has now accepted that India had arrived on the brain map of the world. But we know that this was not the real beginning - our ingenuity has a long history.
I would like to share one incident with you, which took place on one of my flights to prove my point. It could become a case study for any good business management school/ college. You can decide about that after you read the story.
THE FLIGHT
This happened on one of my flights when I was flying the Airbus-310 in Air India to the Gulf. It was on Jeddah – Mumbai sector some time in 1987/88. This was way before 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Terrorism had not shown its ugly face on the flights yet. The atmosphere on the flights used to be very cordial and friendly. I used to follow a routine on all my flights which I continued with till my retirement in 1998.
After reaching the designated altitude and settling down for some time, I would handover the controls to my co-pilot and take a walk around in the aircraft. I would go right up to the tail section of the aeroplane to meet the passengers on board and the crew as well. This habit of mine kept the cabin crew on their toes and the passengers were happy to see their pilot mixing around with them. The fear of terrorists, terrorism was unheard of. Those were the wonderful and blissful days of freedom on board the aircraft.
On this particular flight, when I reached the tail section I found a very strange group of people. They were really odd looking passengers. Some of them were maimed, some looked polio affected or with some deformity. They all were dressed very poorly. They did not look like Gulf returnees. After flying in the Gulf for a long time, we could make out a Gulf returnee at first glance. On seeing such a crowd I asked our In-flight Supervisor if these people had asked for some sort of help on landing. The answer was 'No'. A normal passenger in such a condition would certainly ask for a wheelchair. All that looked very odd to me. So after my round when I got back to the cockpit it kept bugging me about that odd group. I thought that I must investigate more about them.
So after some time I went back again to the tail section of the aircraft and asked the purser who was working in that section about the group. He told me that the group had two persons looking after all of them. I met those guys and started talking to them. I asked them where are they from. On seeing me in uniform they were very reluctant to talk to me. On persisting one of them said that they were from Eastern UP. I told them that I had also stayed in that part of our country for some time when I was posted to Air force Station at Gorakhpur. They could not believe me as one of them was from Gorakhpur. After exchanging few notes they were convinced that I was telling the truth. Then the next thing I asked them was if they wanted to see the 'Hawai Jahaj', the airplane. Of course, they were keen. So I took both of them to the front and showed the cockpit from the door. On seeing all that they were just speechless. By now they were very much at home with me. Now when I asked them a few more questions, the whole story came tumbling out - and what a story that was! What I heard was just mind boggling.
THE STORY
The group was of about 25/30 people. They were all Muslim beggars from Eastern UP. They were brought to Jeddah for 'UMRAH' pilgrimage before the start of the month of 'Ramadan' by their 'Bade Chacha' who was sitting up front somewhere. Now they all were going back after 'Ramadan' and after the Id celebrations, There is NO problem about getting their passports and other permissions as there is no quota for 'Umrah' pilgrimage. They all stayed in a cheap 'Musafirkhana' in Jeddah. Their ONLY job during their stay at Jeddah was that during 'Ramadan' every evening they had to go and BEG in front different mosques in the city. At the end of the day all the money that was collected by them would be handed over to the 'Bade Chacha'. Nothing more was required from them. After they reached their homes in India, they all would be given Rs.10,000 / (Ten thousand) cash. That sort of money they would never see again in their life. When they told me how all that was done, I had to salute the INGENUITY of their 'Bade Chacha'.
MODUS OPERANDI
This is how the things worked. The BOSS (Bade Chacha) used to collect 25 to 30 Muslim beggars in UP well before the beginning of 'Ramadan'- month of fasting. He would have no difficulty in getting passports/Visa for them from the Lucknow Passport Office. Any Muslim could apply for 'Umrah' pilgrimage at any time as there are no restrictions on their travel. He would then approach Air India through his travel agent for a group booking asking for the cheapest rates which he could get. After reaching Jeddah he would accommodate them in the cheapest 'Musafirkhana'. As there is no big rush like the HAJ time, he would have no problem on that. He would spend very little on that account. Food for all these people would come from different mosques, where food is distributed to any one before the sunrise and after the sunset. Expenses on food during the day are nil as all of them are supposed to be fasting. So for the whole month of Ramadan feeding this big group was NO big problem.
Now during Ramadan, before breaking their daily fast the local Arabs would like to dole out alms (big amounts) to the needy and poor. So all these people would BEG in front different mosques and the money collected would be given to the Boss. After Ramadan there would be Id celebrations where these people would earn even more. So after a nice stay of more than a month in Jeddah they would head back home. A very smart operation performed by any standard.
After a long chat I told them to get back to their seats with a promise that they will introduce me to their 'Bade Chacha' after landing.
AFTER LANDING
After reaching Mumbai when we, the cockpit crew, reached the customs hall, I found my friends with their Bade Chacha waiting for their checked in baggage. So I went and met the boss. He looked like a very nice and docile man. When I asked him about his activities, he told me that he was doing all this for these poor people. They would never get a chance to do the HAJ pilgrimage so as good hearted man he was doing all this. I told him that I very much appreciated his good deed and we parted.
While going back home I started thinking about the whole flight and my encounter with this group of people. I found that this to be a fantastic case of WIN - WIN - WIN situation. Going over in my mind I realised that every single person is happy in this story.
The Arab who doled out alms to the needy before breaking his fast during Ramadan was very happy for doing some good deed for that day.
The Muslim Beggar, who could never have imagined a plane ride and the religious pilgrimage, was able to do so. Then for more than a month he had a food feast! Free of charge. On finishing the whole trip he would be given ten thousand rupees cash in hand. He would be the happiest man on the earth.
Now about the 'Bade Chacha'. When we all thought and calculated about the whole operation we realised that this man even after taking care of all the expenses for the group must have earned a cool amount of ten to twelve lakh of rupees per trip. One can imagine the value of that in 1987. So he too would a very happy man.
The events on this whole flight got me thinking. Every single person involved in this story was happy and satisfied. But there was a tinge of exploitation somewhere at some stage. I could not pin point it where! So I wrote an article on the episode which published in one of the Marathi news papers. I thought I had covered all the angles of the story. BUT that was not the case!
TAIL PIECE
After about a month when I was going on a flight, one of the Immigration officers came to me and asked me my name and then introduced himself. He had read my article in the newspaper and he wanted to talk about that. The information he came out with was even more baffling and much more interesting. Since he was working at the airport, his info was very authentic.
This was the time when Indian economy had not opened up to the world markets as yet. Gadgets like Washing machines, VCR's, TV's were very much in demand. So the travel agent who had booked this group would import such gadgets on their names as 'UNACCOMPANIED' baggage later on. Those poor people would not know anything about this at all. The custom rule was that passengers can get such stuff into the country within three months of their arrival date. So very thing was proper and legal. There was a ready market available for such items which would be sold with very big premiums. So now the travel agent and few officers shared the loot. This was the fourth or fifth angle to my story. MIND BOGGLING.
I hope now you will agree with me that this qualifies as a case study for any Business Management school/college. This was a Win-Win-Win-Win situation, everyone is happy in the end.
One thing is for sure, you can't beat the INDIAN INGENUITY at beating a system.
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