I am busy, can you call up later

Wonder how you react if you are in the receiving end and you desperately call up somebody say your manager and he replies back “I am busy, please call me back later”…. And same goes after an hour and it goes on. This happens to most of the people in today’s IT managers who tend to be busy or try to act busy, maybe pricy. But whatever you say this has becoming a trend nowadays, more you are busy it seems that you are doing efficient work, that is what tendency of we Indians go.

What bugs me more is that some people don’t even call back or understand that how important that call maybe. It takes just 2 to 3 minutes to speak but even that seems like a time consuming then why keep a MOBILE. I understand that if you busy in a meeting or con call then why the hell you picked the phone. My understanding is that if you are in official call with the client then you should keep your phone shut or silent.

My learning - simple usable application

I was preparing this wireframes for small application for Japanese client wherein it was to be used by their associates to add vendors and check for their bank account and add in their database.

Now this is where I stated the exercise,

Screen 1 -

Screen 2 -

Screen 3 –

Screen 4 –

Screen 5–

Screen 6 – Last screen and output

This looked so simple and precise, yet if you notice lots of interaction involved and user had many options and freedom to search the data and add in. Also if you notice in all the above screens, there is not much of data for the users to be filled and it is very easy. Mainly this can give users who will be using this more comfortable and hassle free to USE…. Less of thinking for him

Now that’s what I call usable. Good self learning for me

My trip to Calcutta/Kolkata

My one and half month stay in kolkata.... yes calcutta, had a mixed feelings. Day I landed here to Wipro office was in Salt Lake which is also called the new Kolkatta, something like New Bombay, and surprisingly it belongs to cleaner part of bong native. For first 2 weekends (weekend was the only period wherein I would venture out), I happen to visit city center which is a BIG Mall and happening place for all the cal youngies and yes I felt 5 years younger visiting that place. Most beutiful part of the Mall is that it had more open areas than just shopping, and it is not a AC Mall, partly open to air and partly closed, was good to roam around.

Next 2 weekend I happen to see the real kolkata, the tram yes the TRAM viewing was terrific


Though I didin't travel into this heritage stuff but a mere viewing felt very good. I saw the real crowd, traffic jams (very much like mumbai) and ofcource some cinema halls attached to MALLS. Ohh not to mention the yellow CABS in kol, a big Ambassador car blocking almost half of the road, and if you are travelling alone, it is like traveling in a mini truck. Though the fare are pretty much reasonnable, unlike in hyderabad or bangalore, these taxi walla don't run after you or be behind you for 1 or 2 rupees, they charge as per the fare, thats good, a la Mumbai, now I know why living in Metro is better than other cities.

So all in all a good trip, KOlKATA is the only metro city in India wherein you see manual cycle rickshaw. Will try to see more heritage places if time permits and if I don't get release from my project in KOLKATA

And yes I also happen to taste mishti and rossogullas....

My Dream Travel Portal

I would love to do travel bookings through internet provided I get best of deals and the site if well made. What do you made by well made? Well I mean something wherein I can get all travel related info in one roof off course a very easy simple approach and delight after booking, most importantly get a feeling of confidence and trust in the portal.

So this is my dream come true travel portal which if I got a chance I would make it and naturally only if lots of funding is in my hand. So how I wish to be that portal…. Firstly I would break the home page in 2 main sections (one transport bookings and package tour).

This wireframe show the plan…

Now I would also like flight bookings to be made flash version I mean an option to users to click on the city to city to view and book there in there….. but that will be optional simply because not everybody likes too much of interactivity. So apart from flight I will keep train schedules in elaborative fashion yet make it as simple and precise and lastly VOLVO buses info.

In Package tour not much drama, just 2 sections, one Make my package and great deals. So this is my dream travel portal, all in one roof, which will not only contain online transaction but also lots of information and interactive information, visual information wherein users will have lots of choice….making it sophisticated yet very simple approach, easy to locate and easy to use.

My joining Wipro in Chennai – 14th Jan 2008

Finally after 2 month long marathon talks and follow up finally got into Wipro, not a great journey though I had tough time handling Joining HR while salary negotiation and then after the offer had even more tough time running after the joining HR team for my accommodation and other things.

So strange things happened, firstly I was recruited for Hyderabad location but my base location was said to be Chennai and for the first 3 months I was to be posted in Calcutta, now I am really in confused state on where exactly would I land up in, Calcutta or Hyderabad or Pune

Now first day in Chennai, 13th Jan and city was gearing up for PONGAL, and I was staying in the most crowded and happening place in Chennai, T Nagar which the house of all jeweler dwellers. Streets were crowded like a mela. Guest house room was a sharing one…. So that was major disappointment for me.

Day of joining, 14th Jan – BOGI PONGAL day (first of the 4 day festival in Chennai), was suppose to reach at 8:30 am but to add up to the mess, I took a wrong bus and had to walk off some 3 km to office, 9:10 am and presentation had already begun, fortunately I didn’t miss much action. Though first of the 2 day induction was boring and dragging, made some friends from Pune and Hyderabad, good to see people from your city. First day was kind of too much of information but useful to certain extent. Second say was a holiday and god what do I do, landed up in one of my relative’s house only to make my day more dragging and dull. Somehow managed to escape from there after having LUNCH (though food was homely).

The last day of induction was a bit team building exercise sort of…. Which they call it “Spirit of Wipro”, had some fun in that session, but after lunch (typical madrassi lunch with loads of rice and sambhar and rasam) I was even more confused as my project manager was on leave for the whole week, so who to contact ? Had to shell out 200 bucks and reach Guindy office (suppose to be my base location) where I spoke to my alternate supervisor about my travel plans and what am I suppose to do in Calcutta. Had a mess of a time that evening and left everything and went straight to guest house. Next day I came in with fresh mind studied Wipro’s intranet closely, learnt how to raise travel request, how to follow up with people, finally in the evening I got tickets to go back to Pune and on Monday to Calcutta…. Was relieved finally back to home pune after dragging week in Chennai.

My Last day at Zensar Pune- 10th Jan 2008

Usually I am used to exiting the company with a happy face and there is always a excitement on the last date and at times relieved. This happened to me when I left 3i Infotech where I worked for 2 ½ years, main reason because the team itself was going on Graphic Designing way and not the usability way… well that’s history. Now the last day in Zensar Pune date – 10th Jan 2008.

Frankly speaking not a good feeling for the first time even after my 7 company change, 2 reasons for the same, one because buddies were cool and co-operative, we worked as a team, be it low fidelity task or high one, secondly the city PUNE which was like staying in home (simple reason because I was brought up in Mumbai, so that feeling of homely was there).

Lastly in my last 7 companies, no one has ever given me a FEREWELL, but this team though not very much united at work, held together to bid a farewell to be…. I felt high.

No doubt wherever I go, Zensar UI Team (Rahul, Anu, Zia, Lokesh, Srini.....) will always be in my memory, you never know I might go back there sometime, only time would say that….