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Career Path: A Meandering Way

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My 40+ years of professional journey. It's well past 40 years since I started as a management professional in 1985. This journey has spanned five organizations (Damodar Ropeways Construction Co. Ltd., MICO/Bosch, Visteon, Hansen/ZF, and now Suprajit), three sectors (construction/ropeways, automotive, wind energy), and six functions (quality assurance, production/manufacturing, finance/accounts/controls, purchase/material management, sales/marketing, general management). I even stayed in Thailand and Belgium. Many ask how I managed this—was it planned or serendipitous? Recently, during a fireside chat with our tech team (150 engineers, mostly Gen Z and millennials), a young engineer posed just that, seeking advice for planning their careers. I shared my story and decided to blog about it Where It All Began: From Physics Dreams to Forced Mechanical reality   Tracing back, it started with professional education. I loved physics, vaguely eyeing BSc, MSc, maybe a PhD in quantum physics....
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Brahmaputra drive journey

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  Our convoy of 7 (JLR Defenders) +2 (Lead & Sweep) cars  After our 2024 Cougar Motors Land Rover Defender trip to the Himalayas ( Zanskar Himalayan Journey ) we planned another in India's North-East: “ Brahmaputra Journey ”. Mr Shyam Bhat, a Cougar regular, strongly recommended it. All 2026 trips were booked, so we left a message with Ms Sapna Gupta of Cougar Motor sport ( https://www.cougarmotorsport.in/defender-journeys/) : " we'd join if dropouts occurred and dates suited ". Luck struck—a spot opened, dates worked, and we booked on seven days' notice. Off to the land of the Seven Sisters via Guwahati, routing through Delhi due to flight issues. The route (Guwahati to Tawang and back) Day 1: Guwahati Relaxation We arrived at Taj Vivanta exhausted from red-eye flights. With Bihu festival underway, we savoured an Assamese thali lunch, slipped into a food coma, then met our diverse group—fellow travellers from North India - Chandigarh, Panipat, Delhi, West - M...
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Accidents Happen: Are They Inevitable or Lessons in Disguise?

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We all say it: "Accidents happen." But do they? Are crashes, falls, and mishaps truly unavoidable, or can we dodge them with better habits? And when they strike, do we shrug them off as "acts of God" or "karmic events"? Or do we dig in, analyse, and grow? I've had my share of close calls—in life, on bikes, in training, and at work. All of them taught me something vital each time. Thought of penning down some of them.. Thailand Motorbike Crash: A High-Speed Wake-Up See my detailed blog on the Thailand ride Picture this: I'm cruising through Thailand on a benign double-S curve at 70-90 kmph. Eyes drift from the exit (classic target fixation fail), trail braking lags, and maybe gravel sneaks in. In a blur, I'm airborne—knowing a crash is imminent. No GoPro rolling, so no replay, but the lesson stuck and deeply embedded into me. Was it avoidable? Absolutely. I knew the basics, yet they vanished like Karna forgetting his skills in the heat of battle...
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Kerala is Now Keralam: Because Who Needs Roads When You Have an Extra 'M'?

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We woke up to the earth-shattering, sky-splitting news: "Kerala is now Keralam ." I grabbed my phone and dialled my Mallu friend: "Suhruthe, njangal cheythu!" (Friend, we " M "ade it!).  Ah yes, because nothing screams progress like tweaking a vowel or a consonant in a state, City or a road name while potholes swallow entire motorcycles, cars or even busses. Our elected geniuses—funded by our hard-earned taxes—spent their invaluable time on this national priority. Hope that as Karnataka's Kannadigas got Kannad ; pray Keralam doesn't spiral into " Malayal " next. This renaming spree is peaking in India. We've rebranded everything from cities to shrubs: Calcutta → Kolkata (Good luck, foreigners—it's "Coal-ka-ta" now, apparently.) Bombay → Mumbai (From Bollywood glamour to... fishing-village vibes?) Our beloved Bangalore → Namma Bengaluru (Namma? More like "Namma traffic nig...
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