Monthly Archives: January 2015

Lessons Learnt From Those Trees

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A few months ago, I was in Yosemite Valle, California, USA .   This is a huge forest with 800 miles in hiking trails. The Sequoia family of trees with their huge trunks draw special attention of the visitors.  The tallest tree is 285 feet in height.

As I looked around I felt, each of these trees have meaningful lessons to teach.

Wewona Tree

Wawona Giant Sequoia

One of the trees, Wawona giant sequoia is 210 feet tall, 92 feet in circumference with a diameter of 30 feet.   As you can see in the image, the tree fell down from its roots. This happened in 1969 and it is still lying there as the wood is resistant to decay. It is as good as dead, but so what?  While living, it succeeded in maintaining its world record.  Therefore even after death, it is a darling of everyone  who passes it by.   In fact, the authorities allow visitors to play around and hug this eternally sleeping tree.

These giant sequoia trees understand that to survive, it is very important to share and live together as a society.  They are aware that for survival, every tree needs water and nutrients which is why they grow very close to one another.   They permit the roots of one giant sequoia to fuse with the roots of another. This underground activity enables the giant trees not only to survive in close proximity to each other but live together with equal rights.

In fact there is a set of two trees called “Faithful Couple” who believe to share every thing

Faithful Couple

Faithful Couple

with the partner. They are so  close to each other that one side of their trunks is almost like a common wall of the two trunks.   They respect the presence of the neighbour. They demonstrate their ability to share the components for survival such as water, sunlight and nutrients like a true couple. They believe in togetherness in pleasure and sorrow,  “sukh-dukh mein saath saath”

California Tunnel

California Tunnel

There is a tree called California Tunnel, one of the two living trees in the area.  The tree in the dense jungle does not hesitate to permit the people to pass through its tummy.  A large cavity in the huge trunk is wide enough to let a SUV pass through it. Convenience to others is more important to the tree than its own inconvenience.   Similarly there is a tree called Clothspin which has a tunnel in its body as big as 40ft in height.

At one site, there are 3 sequoia trees together named 3 Graces. Their roots are inter-mingled. Research confirms that they survive together and if they were to fall, they would fall together.  Together they live and together they would die.  “jiyenge saath saath, marenge saath saath”

Writer  : Badri Baldawa

Editor  : Meeta Kabra

I Almost Gave Up My Childhood Dream, But ……

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My target was trekking to the Mt Everest base camp.  It was the sixth day of an 18-day expedition. I was on my way to Dabuche.   Instead of the norm of going with a group of 8-10 people, I decided to experience the journey by myself, with a sherpa to help and guide me.

I had already had enough of the bitter cold. I was weak from a day’s worth of upset stomach to go with the steep climbs.  I had seen injured people being carried back and heard of quite a few who were being flown back due to severe altitude sickness. Along the way. I had seen too many bodies of trekkers who died in their attempt to complete the trek.

I almost gave up.

Usually, trekkers from both directions assemble in the evening at the dining area of tea shops at their night halt points.  Most people prefer to hang around closer to kitchen ovens because it is slightly warmer compared to the sleeping cabins.

Keep Climbing

Keep Climbing

At the end of that day, I was too tired and feeling depressed.  That evening, I heard terrible stories about the trekkers who had gone ahead. I was scared, worried and tense.  For the first time in the trip, I wondered seriously why I had left the comforts of home food, bathing and toilet luxuries, my own bedroom with controlled temperature and the great evening walks with my wife. Doubts started creeping in.

Things were likely to be tougher since the path ahead was more isolated.  Maybe, it was wrong to have come for such a tough trek.  I thought it wasn’t too late to go back home instead of facing the risk ahead. I considered telling the sherpa that we ought to return.  But I could wait till the morning.

I wasn’t hungry, I just had a bowl of soup with bread and stretched for a while on the bed.  It was already dark.  I felt slightly relaxed and positive.  I picked up the torch which was always handy.  I looked for the folder with the travel documents.  In the folder, I found two sheets of printed stuff.  I had carried with me some of the interesting and encouraging messages sent by friends and family, before I left.  I put on my glasses, held the torch in one hand and started reading them.  Each of the messages made my nerves tingle with positivity.

  • “you are an inspiration”,
  • “you are different”,
  • “with your energy, you can give people half of your age a run for their money”,
  • “nothing is impossible for you”,
  • “you convert ideas into realities”,
  • “you convert hopes into accomplishments”,
  • “You overcome fear into self confidence”,
  • “You are definitely one of those handful few”,
  • “You are equipped with spiritual health and strong will power”,
  • “Not many can visualize a dream and achieve it also”,
  • “I would have the privilege to tell to my friends, that a personal friend of mine has done this”,
  • “We are proud of you”,
  • “it is tough, but cake walk for you”,
  • “Fantastic, what a way to do the things man”,
  • “It is honour to know someone like you to look upto” etc.
  • One also read: “Height may make you feel a bit shaky at times, but I know you can reach the top!  With your courage and determination, you can go past all obstacles coming your way, you can do it, you can do it!”

  • Another:

    “Follow your dream…..

    Take one step at a time and don’t settle for less…

    Just continue to climb….

    If you stumble, don’t stop, don’t lose sight of your goal…

    Press to the top, as at the top, we can have a vision to see something new….

    Press on, follow your dream, follow your dream”

These really boosted my spirits, when I needed them the most.  I regained my confidence.  It reminded me of my philosophy which, for a short while I had forgotten, ‘If others can do it, why can’t I”.  These well wishers saved my day and enabled me to move forward with full vigour to make my 50 years old childhood dream come true!

Therefore, let us put in inspiring words wherever possible. Let us not under-estimate the power of our positive words.   They work wonders!!

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

Is Education Over-rated?

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“Our performance efficiency is 99.9999% – six sigma ranking. We have 5,000 members working in coordination.  Out of 400,000 transactions every day, the error factor is 1 in every 20,000,000” said the President of a service organisation.

This is the organization which collects lunch boxes (dabbas) in the morning from the homes spread over 60 by 30 km city called Mumbai. These lunch packs are then delivered to their owners working in various nooks and corners of Mumbai. Post lunch, they collect the empty boxes and get them back to the respective houses by the same evening

.Bombay DabbawalaBombay Dabbawalas

This organisation is not a giant corporate like IBM, Wal-mart or Coca cola.  Almost all its members are illiterate and school drop-outs. It has functioned for over 125 years and gets only more efficient by the day.

The process is extremely complicated and needs perfect coordination. They don’t use technology nor do they use fuel-driven vehicles.  They work on foot or use cycles and suburban trains to transfer the boxes over 65-70kms every day, making it a 100% eco-friendly system.  It is a perfect example of the most complicated job done in the simplest way.

To provide better coordination and thus efficiency, the delivery people are divided in different groups. In the process, the dabbas change hands 6 times. But they have a system to ensure there is no mix-up in the process. Their lack of education has not held them back in following the best lessons taught in the world’s top ranked management schools like Harvard, Oxford and so on.  On the contrary, this set-up is taken up as a case study by the said schools.

They believe in fixed prices.  No favours or bias in price.

There’s no gossip at work.  Even when Prince Charles wanted to talk to the members, they refused to have a discussion with him while they were on duty.  Their working impressed him so much, that Prince Charles  invited two of them to his marriage in 2005 at par with Queen of Gwalior.

Each member carries aprx 40 dabbas (boxes), weighing 60 to 65kgs on their head most of the day.   For each building, one delivery person is assigned the responsibility of collecting the boxes.   These boxes are then assembled at the local suburban train station, and are reallocated to groups based on the destination train station.

At the destination stations, the boxes again are regrouped to specific building (And floor of building in some cases).  Freshly cooked meals are thus delivered from home to the customer within 3 hours commute over foot, cycles and train.

As one can imagine they had to develop a system to identify which box needs to be go where. They introduced the most practical coding system which is marked on each box.  It identifies who would collect each box from which building in which suburb.  The code also includes who would deliver information – right down to the floor of a particular building.   This coding system can be understood by the most uneducated person and at the same time leaves an almost zero margin for error!

They have also created a cost free advertisement system for themselves.  Every member has to wear the white cap which by itself has become a logo.  This identification has proven to be a boon as they are blocked by no authority/security. Everyone respects their need for punctuality to ensure the boxes reach the office employees well in time for lunch.

All members have to strictly follow the rules and any deviation attracts a penalty.   For example, if a delivery person is found on duty without a cap or any customer makes a complaint against them they are penalized the same day.   Penalty has to be paid the same day to be able to continue with the delivery, the next day.

They do not have any employer-employee relationship.  Each member is a shareholder and hence a stake holder in the operation.  They have had no labour strike during 125 years of the association’s existence.  The punctuality, complaint record and output all count towards their share of pooled funds and reward. They are all part of an association which collects a small fee every month, which in turn is fully donated for a social cause.

Minimum overheads and optimum output is the lesson I learn from these hard-working dabbawalas.

This example proves that literacy and technology is not essential to achieve perfection.  It is whole-hearted devotion and the right attitude which matters most.

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited  : Meeta Kabra